Strawberry salad

a friend saw this on the internet and asked me to do something a bit different, for all the recipes he saw used strawberry jello (note ALL of them have artificial flavor)...
what?  No strawberries and only a fake flavor (and loads of sugar, this is a salad for goodness sake)!
I took the challenge and it took a few tries, but i managed it!

Strawberry Salad

a somewhat healthier alternative to what you find on the internet

crust

·       2 cups crushed pretzels

          (start with 4 cups of twisted pretzels)

·       3/4 cup butter, melted

·       3 tablespoons raw sugar

topping

·       1 quart fresh strawberries

·       1 teaspoon white sugar

·       1 cup celery, finely cut

·       2 packets of gelatin

·       1 cup boiling water

filling

·       4 ounces cream cheese (1/2 block) at room temperature

·       1 cup whipping cream, fresh

·       1 tablespoon white sugar

use a food processor to crush pretzels and blend butter and sugar

press into a 9 x 9 glass pan and bake for 15 minutes at 375 F

let cool

whip cream cheese, whipping cream and sugar till firm

(optional: add 1 teaspoon vanilla)

spread onto the cooled crust

wash and clean the strawberries, but do not dry them

add 1 teaspoon sugar and let sit refrigerated over night

slice 5 strawberries and place on top of the whipped cream filling

use a food processor to grind the remainder and strain

reserve the juice

dissolve the gelatin in boiling water

add juice, celery and 1 tablespoon processed strawberries

refrigerate for several hours until it begins to gel

pour very gently and let sit

top with fresh basil, slice chiffonade style