Tonight I made Chex Party Mix for the first time in years. This tasty treat used to be my standard contribution to informal gatherings of family or friends. But so much time passed since my last batch that the two tins I transported subsets of them in, a Peanuts Chex one and a Mr. Peanut anniversary one, got rusty and had to be thrown away.
The Peanuts Chex tin (featuring Snoopy and gang) had the official original recipe printed inside the lid. Since I don't have that anymore, I was planning to just follow the recipe which I always remembered being printed on the Wheat Chex box. But what's this? The official "original" recipe currently printed on the Wheat Chex box is now for small batches to be cooked in a microwave... Microwave, instead of roasting in the oven? That can't be good, can it? I'm not willing to risk it.
So I turned to my old friend Google, to help me figure out how I used to make it. The microwave recipe, which I had never heard of before today, is already the most pervasive one out there. Isn't that crazy? Chex Party Mix has been around for decades, but I take a couple of years off and it's like waking up in an alternate universe. Anyway, after some digging, I was finally able to find what I needed.
Now, what I do is take that "original" oven-oriented recipe and tweak it a little. I make a double batch, with a little more butter & seasonings than called for, leave out the pretzels (yuck!), and double the perportion of nuts. That's how I've always liked it. In theory, I would not be opposed to adding Cheerios or bagel chips, as seen in some versions of the recipe, but never seem to have those on hand. Bagel chips? Who eats those?
On a side note, over the past ten years or so, several varieties of ready-to-eat bagged Chex Mixes have made their way into supermarkets. I am not opposed to this concept, and indeed have been known to scarf down the cheddar cheese ones when bought on sale, but they aren't as good as my homemade stuff. Too many pretzels, not buttery enough, and of course never available warm out of the oven.
The other twist to party mix I've experienced and actually really enjoyed was something called White Trash. Basically, it's Chex Party Mix minus the seasonings, covered in white chocolate... as made by Shannon's mom and then Wilfred's mom many times during the 1980's. Delicious! I've probably not had that in about 15 years. Wow, I'd love to indulge in that right now.
Anyway, some people love my mix, some don't care for it. But Benjamin ate it tonight for the first time ever and said it was "super, super good!"
The Peanuts Chex tin (featuring Snoopy and gang) had the official original recipe printed inside the lid. Since I don't have that anymore, I was planning to just follow the recipe which I always remembered being printed on the Wheat Chex box. But what's this? The official "original" recipe currently printed on the Wheat Chex box is now for small batches to be cooked in a microwave... Microwave, instead of roasting in the oven? That can't be good, can it? I'm not willing to risk it.
So I turned to my old friend Google, to help me figure out how I used to make it. The microwave recipe, which I had never heard of before today, is already the most pervasive one out there. Isn't that crazy? Chex Party Mix has been around for decades, but I take a couple of years off and it's like waking up in an alternate universe. Anyway, after some digging, I was finally able to find what I needed.
Now, what I do is take that "original" oven-oriented recipe and tweak it a little. I make a double batch, with a little more butter & seasonings than called for, leave out the pretzels (yuck!), and double the perportion of nuts. That's how I've always liked it. In theory, I would not be opposed to adding Cheerios or bagel chips, as seen in some versions of the recipe, but never seem to have those on hand. Bagel chips? Who eats those?
On a side note, over the past ten years or so, several varieties of ready-to-eat bagged Chex Mixes have made their way into supermarkets. I am not opposed to this concept, and indeed have been known to scarf down the cheddar cheese ones when bought on sale, but they aren't as good as my homemade stuff. Too many pretzels, not buttery enough, and of course never available warm out of the oven.
The other twist to party mix I've experienced and actually really enjoyed was something called White Trash. Basically, it's Chex Party Mix minus the seasonings, covered in white chocolate... as made by Shannon's mom and then Wilfred's mom many times during the 1980's. Delicious! I've probably not had that in about 15 years. Wow, I'd love to indulge in that right now.
Anyway, some people love my mix, some don't care for it. But Benjamin ate it tonight for the first time ever and said it was "super, super good!"
1 comment:
About the only variations on how I make it: Tonight I used butter instead of the usual margarine, and once in a while I'd attempt a triple batch rather than double, but it never turned out as good.
The photo is a "before" snap, i.e. before it hit the oven tonight. I'd provide a belated "after" but would be embarassed to reveal how much we've already eaten. (This is supposed to be for Thanksgiving).
Most surreal Chex Party Mix memory: watching a variety of Chicago hipsters scarfing it down in a friend's apartment while discussing Mike Leigh movies, all the while proclaiming much they liked it. Somebody revealed that it was I who made it, which was met with utter disbelief.
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