Time is running tight! I must get the annual Christmas Chex Mix ready for gifting! It's a big production. One batch takes 2.5 hours to complete. I need FOUR batches! I have 24 containers to fill.
The Pony agreed to be my hands and knees, to help with the Chex Mix this year. Last year we did a batch together. Somewhat of an apprentice situation. It's not a complicated process, once you grasp the layering and amounts of the ingredients. It's a tedious process. Chex Mix must be stirred every 15 minutes, for two hours. My knees do not like that part. With The Pony to trot to the stove, and pull out and return the three pans, I have it easy.
This might be the first stirring. I can tell that the Worcestershire Sauce has already been added, and some Corn Chex and pecans have worked their way to the top. If I had just combined the mixture, the top would be a layer of Rice Chex.
There's the first container. Pay no mind to the Pony toes. Mmm. I can practially smell it! The Chex Mix, not the toes!
This is the end of the second batch. I can tell by the color of the container. Notice my dipping tool? It's a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle bowl. I'm not sure where we got it. That was back when HOS (Hick's Oldest Son) and The (little future) Veteran were kids. I don't think the bowls came in a cereal box. They're pretty sturdy. Of course they were used to eat cereal. We only have two. The purple mask (my favorite) and the orange mask. I used to know their names. Anyhoo... this is my traditional Chex Mix dipper. The Pony even asked where it was, while gathering my materials.
We had a good day. Got started about 12:30, and were done by 6:00. Of course, there was a delay midway, because I had to wash and dry my three pans before building the second batch. The Pony was given two (smaller) containers to take home. We all had a tiny sample. Even Hick!
Chex Mix really makes our hillbilly mansion smell like Christmas.
Oh yummy!! What an economical and tasty way to celebrate the season!
ReplyDeleteIt gets more expensive to make every year, but compared to buying that many actual "gifts," it's economical. Nobody has every complained upon receiving it! I doubt they sit around all year saying, "Gosh, I wish Val had just given me an impersonal gift card."
DeleteI just did some shopping and I agree with you, way more economical! And it's from the heart of you and Pony (since he did the hand and knee work, ha!) - a nice and personal gift!
DeleteI have a feeling people enjoy the taste more than the "personal-ity" of it!
DeleteI'd love to read the recipe for that. Sounds like something my wife might like.
ReplyDeleteHere's how I make it:
DeleteBugles 1 bag
(if you like them, not in my original recipe)
Corn Chex 1 box
Rice Chex 1 box
Cheerios 1 box
Pretzels-twist 1 bag
Mixed Nuts small can
Cashews small can
Pecans 10 oz package
Vegetable Oil 2 1/2 cups
Worcestershire Sauce 3/4 bottle
Garlic Powder a few shakes
Garlic Salt a few shakes
That's for a big roaster pan, and the two 9x13 pans you see in the picture. SWMBO might want to scale it back!
Layer the dry ingredients in the pan. Drizzle on the vegetable oil. Drizzle on some Worcestershire Sauce. Shake on garlic powder and garlic salt. Put in a 250 degree oven. Take out and stir every 15 minutes. Bake for 2 hours total.
The Chex mix looks yummy, but it might be something I can't eat depending on ingredients. I love the Ninja Turtle dipper.
ReplyDeleteCan't beat a Ninja Turtle dipper!
DeleteMy favorite time of the year at the Hillboma household. Chex mix time. I would be very happy to be on your gift list. And I agree, despite the cost, it is still less expensive than trying to buy individual gifts, not to mention the crowds and the traffic and the what the heck do I buy rich Uncle Harry. We went to handmade items or just food related items. My brother would order meat and cheese Christmas boxes from the local butcher, and my sister would buy various unusual food items from online shops (she had mobility issues) and I would make homemade pizzelles and chocolate covered cherries and almond bark. Now it's just my brother and me so we just stopped going through the trouble and send the money for the items to our kids or grandkids. It's fine. It was becoming a lot of work that I even had my husband help me with. The fun and joy were pretty much gone, and the last year was very difficult but since then we lost my FIL, my sister, my dad and my BIL so kind of lost the reason for doing it. My brother is ok with it also. We are a lot alike. :) Ranee
ReplyDeleteYes, the older we get, the more difficult the holidays become. Enjoying time with family is the goal now, while we still can. Gifts are optional.
DeleteI wanted to bake cookies but then thought what a bad idea it would be! No company is coming, and we are staying home, we don't need to be eating cookies, and we would eat them all. I will be cooking a standing rib roast and the vegetables to go with it. I am thinking rice pilaf and a pan of roasted veggies. Asparagus and butternut squash is wonderful roasted. I will even bake bread and make a pie or cake. Then it will be over and things will go on as before.
ReplyDeleteI will be baking three Oreo cakes, and I don't even like them! Your pie or cake will be delicious, and gone faster than cookies.
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