January 06, 2010

Confessions of a Chex Mix Addict

Growing up, Chex Mix was a rare treat. I still remember the pan my mom and grandma used to make Chex Mix. I can still smell the aroma of Chex Mix as it baked in the oven. I've tried the store-bought stuff, but nothing compares to homemade Chex Mix.
I'm not sure what motivated him, but sometime in the last year or so Hubby, who also is addicted to Chex Mix, decided to start making his own. First he started by making a combination of my grandmother's recipe and a recipe on a cereal box. Then, once he got the hang of it, he started experimenting. I won't give away his "secret recipe," especially since it varies from batch to batch, but it involves the usual ingredients (Worcestershire sauce, garlic powder), along with soy sauce, goldfish crackers, maybe some Kix, and, in his latest batch, banana chips and M&M's. I kid you not. It is FANTASTIC! He recently gave a bag of Chex Mix to the neighbors, and now they want to know when he's making more.
Just before Christmas, My Blog Spark and General Mills gave me the opportunity to receive four free boxes of General Mills cereal. This came on the heels of an announcement from General Mils that the company is committed to further reducing the amount of sugar in cereals advertised to kids 12 and younger (think single digit grams of sugar per serving). Now, I'm sure the intention was for bloggers like me to use the coupons, try new cereals and talk about how a healthy breakfast is an important way to start the day, especially for children.
Pshaw! All I could think was: CHEX MIX!!!!! I am constantly searching for fun snacks for my girls. Hubby's Chex Mix usually accomplishes that. He lets the girls help make it. They get to measure the ingredients and suggest new ones, which is likely how M&M's made their way into the last batch, but I'm not complaining! The fact that the homemade snack is somewhat healthy (M&M's aside) is an added bonus. So while a good breakfast is an important way to start your day, I'll take toast if it means we have some cereal left over for Chex Mix.

7 comments:

maryanne said...

Great, now you have me craving chex mix! I do have a box of Chex cereal in the pantry...

Stephanie Barr said...

Coolness. What a fun activity for everyone!

Nancy said...

OMG!! I totally could have written this post :) Except for the part about a husband making it...I TOTALLY used my MBS coupons to purchase chex mix makings...and made some in the crock pot. YUM!!!

Quadmama said...

Our latest batch is almost gone. I may need to convince Hubby to make more tonight.

SarahMarie said...

My husband loves to make chex mix and experiment too! My oldest just got to the point where he enjoys helping out. And it's great to see a daddy "cooking" with his kids!

Quadmama said...

I was curious what would happen when the girls got to the age where they wanted to help. Fortunately, everyone embraced it as a fun bonding time!

reanbean said...

You're definitely right about homemade Chex Mix being the best. I hadn't thought about it in ages, but reading your post made my mind wander back to my childhood home. I could see my mom in the kitchen putting a freshly made batch of Chex Mix into our large wooden bowl. And oooh, the smell! My mouth is definitely watering.

It's nice that your husband has his own spin on the tasty treat and that he gets the girls involved too.

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