Old fashioned chex party mix hasn't changed since I was a kid; its salty and crunchy and is just fun to look at.  It is seasonless in its appeal, and who wouldn't love a cellophane gift bag of this homemade treasure, tied up with a twine ribbon?! Don't make the mistake of buying the processed version of party mix and trying to pass it off as the original stuff made in your own kitchen; it is a different animal altogether. There's a story stalking around the edges of my childhood memories involving a take on the store-bought party mix. It might only be a figment of my overactive imagination; perhaps someone out there could either deny or confirm its truth. Until proven otherwise, here is my true story. My three oldest siblings (you know who you are!) were having a teenage gathering at our house for some friends from the church youth group. "Party" would be a strong term, since the beverage of choice was either homemade grape juice or "pop", the Ohio way of describing carbonated beverages. The most scandalous thing that happened was that someone added an extra bowl to the refreshment table; it looked like store-bought party mix, with little shapes and crunchies, but was in fact, dog food. They actually allowed one of the female guests to taste the mixture, and then the cat (or dog) was out of the bag. I'm sure they all howled with mirth at the silly prank. And I feel certain the female guest made no bones about how angry she was for being tricked. Oh for the good ole' days!

This recipe makes a large batch, enough to fill a full sized, foil, steam table pan, (20 x 12 x 3 inches), Feel free to customize your selection of cereals in the recipe. I personally love the addition of sweet honey combs to the various chex cereals, but if you think that is a strange combination, choose whatever you like. Sometimes I even add mini shredded wheat squares (refer to my blog, "My Love Affair With Cold Cereal"). I do find it necessary to insert a cautionary note regarding party mix: it is quite dangerous to have around your home. It softly calls your name whenever you walk by the kitchen and has a magnetic drawing power to all within a 50 yard radius. I propose two solutions for dealing with this dilemma: either give the party mix away or go ahead and eat it all, to silence the voices. One last word of instruction; never allow anyone to view the consumption of your hand crafted party mix as a fishing expedition. The proper etiquette is to blindly reach into the bowl for a handful, and what you get is what you get. No sly fingers digging to the bottom of the bowl for that choice cashew! Please mind your manners.

Chex Party Mix

20 cups cereal (corn chex, rice chex, wheat chex, crispix, honey combs, cheerios), in your personal choice of combination

4 c. pretzels (sticks or small shaped)

2 cups mixed nuts

1 c. butter, melted

1/4 c. Worchestershire Sauce

1 heaping Tbsp. Lawry's Seasoned Salt

1 tsp. garlic powder

1/2 tsp. onion powder

10 dashes Tabasco sauce (optional)

Combine the cereal, pretzels and nuts in a large roasting pan. In a small saucepan, melt the butter and add the Worchestershire sauce, seasoned salt, garlic and onion powders, and Tabasco if desired. Stir together with a fork or whisk. Slowly pour the butter mixture over the dry ingredients and stir carefully with a wooden spoon. Place in a 250 degree oven and bake for 1 1/2 hours, stirring every 15 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow to cool before consuming, if you are that self disciplined.