Tropical Gelatin Salad - cooking recipe

Ingredients

Crust
2 cups crushed pretzels
1 cup flaked coconut, toasted
1 cup chopped macadamia nuts, toasted
3 tablespoons sugar
3/4 cup butter, melted
Filling
1 (8 ounce) cream cheese, softened
1 cup sugar
1 (8 ounce) Cool Whip
1 (3 ounce) package lemon Jell-O gelatin
1 (3 ounce) package pineapple Jell-O
1 3/4 cups boiling water
1 cup mayonnaise
1 (6 ounce) can pineapple juice
1 (20 ounce) can crushed pineapple, undrained
1 cup sharp cheddar cheese, finely shredded
Garnish
sweetened whipped cream
chopped macadamia nuts
toasted coconut

Preparation

Preheat oven to 400*. Lightly grease a 13x9x2 baking dish and set aside. In a small bowl combine the pretzels, coconut, macadamia nuts and 3 tablespoons of sugar. Add the butter and stir well to combine. Press into the bottom of the prepared baking dish. Bake for 10 minutes, allow to cool completely.
In a medium bowl combine the cream cheese and sugar beating until creamy with an electric mixer. Add the Cool Whip beating to combine. Spread over the cooled crust.
In a large bowl combine the gelatins and boiling water. stirring to dissolve. Add the mayonnaise and pineapple juice and whisk till smooth. Stir in the pineapple and cheese. pour over the cream cheese layer and refrigerate until set, at least 4 hours.
Garnish with the whipped cream, nuts and coconut on individual pieces if served as a dinner party dessert or frost the top of the dessert with the whipped cream and sprinkle with the garnish to finish it. (I usually use Cool Whip if the dessert is being served Buffet style as it holds it shape longer than whipping cream OR Oetker brands makes a product called Whip-It that is a cream stabilizer -- you add a package to your cream before whipping, it is gelatin based, so it keeps the whipping cream from 'melting' on your dessert.).