Chex Mix A Holiday Tradition

I love Chex mix but not the Chex mix that is already made that you buy in a bag in the store but the kind that is lovingly made at home with stirring and some butter and spices.  I don’t even actually follow the directions exactly when I make it.  Big surprise right to you all because you know how great I am at following directions.  I am not sharing the recipe because its right on the Chex mix box but I will tell you that my son and I are both addicted and this time of year I just justify that it is better than potato chips.  I know Chex mix sounds so commercial and I know my nutritionist would be telling me not to go there but somehow this month I am okay with it.  And hey Purina makes Chex cereal so it has to be somewhat nutritional right?  I’m not going to say this is an unprocessed food snack but anytime your using real butter and real spices it’s safe to say it is healthier than what you would purchase in the store.  All I know is my dog and my family can’t get enough of this stuff 😉

I think for me my love of Chex mix began when I was a little girl and our neighbor next door always offered me gum drops and Chex mix.  I remember thinking that she had this magical house with an endless supply of both.

As I grew up we would stop at her house from time to time even after my husband and I got married and sure enough she would pull some Chex mix out for us to eat.  This is such a “frugal” snack mix as I wait until the Chex cereal is on sale and you know I think a couple of the flavors except for the wheat you can get in generic cereals anyway.  Then I use a coupon on top and if I am using nuts I already have many times my biggest expense is the pretzels and you can get them a the dollar store if you want.  I like to buy the big pounder bags so I can make a couple of batches.  So in all actuality for the volume of Chex mix you make it’s really a money saver.  This jar above is huge and each batch I make fills it up.  I am getting ready to make my fourth batch.  My son loves packing it in his lunches during the month of December and it’s just a great delicious snack to have around.

I only use in my mix the following ingredients:

wheat chex

corn chex

rice chex

peanuts or mixed nuts and sometimes pecans

pretzels

I don’t use the bagel or pita chips they recommend but I do follow the basic recipe on the box for the most part.  Chex mix is a great way to use up nuts that haven’t all gotten used up because the cooking and roasting process really freshens the nuts and brings out their nutty flavor.

I usually start making Chex mix right after Thanksgiving and I cannot keep the container full.  It’s interesting because I started making Chex Mix for New Years the year Pet Cemetery came out on video I don’t even know what year that was but clearly the movie was so startling I can’t ever forget when I started making Chex Mix at my household and it just stuck.    What is one of your “foodie” holiday traditions?

Tis’ the season to have Chex mix in your house!  Have a great Sunday everyone!  I almost want to end the post with can you guess how many times the word Chex Mix was used in this post….ha ha LOL!  Have a great holiday season everyone!

Fondly,

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