I hope this is close enough to on-topic not to be seen as a hijack.
A couple of Thanksgivings ago, we had the idea not to go in for the big turkey/ham/stuffing/potatoes/cranberry sauce/sweet potatoes/green beans/etc. feast, but just to have a “picnic” instead, to save the hassle of cooking so we could spend more time just relaxing and gabbing. So it was sandwiches and chips and a few other snacky things, including a big bowl of Chex Mix (which also goes by the other names mentioned upthread like Nuts n’ Bolts, Party Mix, Doo Dads, etc.) As we were sitting down for the meal, my BIL saw the big Chex Mix bowl and exclaimed, “Ah. Vegetables.” That’s now the name for the mix around our houses. Don’t you love it?
Oh my. Have you considered seeking help for this problem?
I have noticed that a few people have mentioned putting Cheerios in the Chex Mix. That is wrong. So wrong. Please stop it. My mother-in-law has been ruining Chex Mix for years by putting Cheerios in it. My husband loves it and will sometimes buy himself a box of Cheerios and just bake that with butter and worcestershire. Blecch.
I’m afraid I have to weigh in with the anti-Cheeriosistas. Some people in this thread have talked about adding them, and I confess, I’ve thought, “Hmmmm. Maybe…” But then sanity sets in. It’s the Big Three for me (Corn, Rice, and Wheat) and nothing more.
How do we feel about Kix ? This was my grandmother’s addition, and I have to say it works quite well. Gives a different texture and crunch, but it’s still just a corn based cereal, so it doesn’t add any new funky flavors. Some of the Kix absorb a lot of the seasoning/butter mix, and actually shrink as a result, making them ultra concentrated bits of delight, while others don’t soak up any at all, making a barely slightly sweet nibble here and there, but not the overwhelming sweet of the crazy outlandish dried fruit additions.
(I hate Cheerios in Chex Mix, just to make my party affiliation clear.)
Ooh…sesame seeds. I have a jar of those sitting in the pantry as I type. I have enough Chex for a batch sitting around as well. Better hit the store on the way home from work for some more butter and Worchestershire Sauce!
But aren’t Kix sweet? They were when I was a kid. I don’t know if I can endorse that or not until I give it a try. I really need to make some Chex mix this weekend.
They’re sweet, but only barely sweet. They don’t rank anywhere near a Froot Loop or a Honeycomb. They’re among the “healthy” cereals mom would let you eat that grandma would give you 'cause it didn’t taste like gerbil food.
Somewhere between original Rice Krispies and Original Life cereal on the sweet-o-meter. Probably about the same as the Chex themselves.
Not a hijack as such, but does anybody remember Kellogg’s Pep? Best I can recall it was their knockoff of Wheaties. The Kix talk brought it to mind. Not that Pep or Wheaties would even be considered for Chex Mix.
Pepitas or lentils or pine nuts in with the standard nuts, anyone? Macadamias? Brazil nuts? Pistachios?
I come to this thread in order to make a confession and ask for absolution. For a tailgate food cook-off here at work, I made something highly recommended by my sister (who makes the world’s best Nuts and Bolts and should certainly know better).
Quarterback Scramble. Chex mix + Velveeta cheeze and chipped beef.
I remember back in the olden days, when Chex cereals were marketed under the brand of Checkerboard Farms, a division of Ralston-Purina (anybody else remember the Checkerboard Squarecrow?). When pre-packaged Chex mix came out, with all the different seasoning themes, I thought it would be really funny if they put one out with Cajun blackening and lot’s of cyenne pepper, so they could call it “Purina Yuppie Chow”.
Hyuck.
Then I found out that Purina isn’t in the human-chow business any more, and I lost my will to ever make a joke again…
I’ve got this new project I’m doing, called "Joy or Death ", where I’m trying to cook every recipe in the new 75th Anniversary Edition of THE JOY OF COOKING. Because there are over 4500 recipes in it, this project will easily take a decade or more. So, I try to be economical and efficient and before I make anything I see if it’s in The JoC (that way I can cross another one off the list).
While there are a ton of things here, so far I’m not seeing anything that fits the “Chex Party Mix” mold. I’ll look again and let you know, but otherwise I’m making it anyway. This thread has made me crazy for some home made Chex Mix.
