CHEX MIX, For Claire

Oy, listen here.  Miss Claire requested, and I'm here to deliver.  That most mystic of snack mixes, that wonder of cocktail parties, that favorite food of hyperbole-loving bloggers.....

CHEX MIX.

Yes, chex mix.  You know what it is, and you know you love it.  If you don't...well, then, we just can't be friends.  But how can't you?  It's salty, savory, garlicky, crunchy, full of all sorts of bad for you salty bits.  What's not to like?  Unless you're talking about the pre-made bagged chex mix, which is basically repulsive (although the cheddar jalepeno flavor looks strangely appealing...)

It's the little things that make a difference in the mix, and one of them is quite shocking:  I don't use chex in chex mix.  Not usually, anyway.  I prefer crispix.  THE HORROR.

Crispix to me are the best of both worlds, combining the wheat and corn in one crunchy bite.  But, I use chex sometimes (half the time), because I do like to mix corn and wheat chex together to have different bites, and it amplifies the amount of chex-to-other-stuff ratio - which is good when you live with chronic pickers, the people who seek out their favorites out of the bowl.  A high school friend once ate every single chex out of a bowl, leaving all the lonely cheerios, peanuts and pretzels behind.  I was enraged.  Why would you do such a thing?

Then, I thought, perhaps I'm the one being a touch overly dramatic about the whole situation.  It is, after all, just a snack mix.  But it's not.  It's so much more.  And it wasn't drama, folks.  It was WAR.

Anyway Chex Mix is just one of those universally appealing, ultra-simple, "what gourmands might turn their snooty noses up at but will still eat handfuls of repeatedly" foods. You probably all have an idea how to make it, too, since a variation on the recipe is on just about every Chex box out there.  Mine, I don't know if it's similar or different, cause it's just the way mom makes it, so it's the way I make it.

Make it often, and invite me over. Click the "more" link to learn, well, more.



Our Chex Mix
1 large box crispix (alternately, 1 small box corn/rice chex and 2 cups wheat chex)
1 can cocktail peanuts (alternately, mixed nuts)
1 small bag pretzel sticks (alternately, twists or knobs or whatevs)
2 cups plain cheerios (alternately, plain shredded wheat)
1 stick margarine (alternately, butter, but this is one of those times when margarine is actually better, somehow)
3 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
3 tsp Lawry's seasoned salt

Place butter in a giant roasting pan and put it in a 250 degree oven while it preheats to melt the butter.  Once butter is melted, remove from oven and stir in Worcestershire and seasoned salt.

In a large bowl, stir together Crixpix, peanuts, and pretzels; add to roasting pan and stir very, very well, trying to scrape up all the flavored butter from teh bottom and evenly coat every peice.

Bake for 15 minutes, then add cereal.  Stir well.  Bake another 45 minutes, stirring every 15 minutes, or until browned and crispy.  Dump onto newspapers or paper towels and spread out to cool.  Store in an airtight container or freeze for several months.

Freezes very well - just hide it in the back of the freezer so hungry hands don't sneak endless handfuls from it.