MAMA'S NUTS, BOLTS AND SCREWS
(Classic Oven Baked Chex Party Mix)
Yesterday marked the beginning of Christmas at my house. The tree is up, sparkling with lights. Plenty of unwrapped gifts scattered across the dining room table. Amy Grant Christmas CDs are playing in the den and The Nutcracker Suite on YouTube. And I began baking.
The first batch of Mama's Nuts, Bolts and Screws has arrived. Last night I spent a little time putting together the recipe. The original recipe, Chex Party Mix, was developed by Ralston Purina and appeared on their cereal boxes in 1952 in the hopes of selling their Chex Wheat Cereal and a new Corn Chex cereal. The first Wheat Chex was came out in 1935 and was more of a shredded wheat biscuit.
Mama credits her recipe to a woman who worked with my Daddy at Sangar Harris Department Store in Dallas in 1960. This is the only recipe we have ever used. This is the best recipe you will every try.
This is my copy as written by my Mother in 1996. (My comments)
1 Box Rice Chex
1 Box Wheat Chex
1 Box Cheerios
1 Slim Thin Pretzels
*As box sizes change, I mix a batch w/about 3-4 cups of each.
(In a large baking pan) Heat in 350 degree oven 15 min
stirring every 5 minutes. (Heating longer also works).
Dressing:
2 sticks of oleo melted (Now we use butter and I added 2 TBL of melted bacon grease to yesterday's batch.)
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
Pour over hot cereal stirring as you pour.
In empty salt shaker add:
(3) TBS celery salt - too much I use 1 TBS (My variation uses less than 1 TBS.)
1 TBS chili powder
1/2 tsp curry powder (I use at least 1 tsp.)
1/2 tsp red pepper
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp onion salt (I use onion powder. At this point, extra salt is not needed.)
1 tsp paprika ( I used Smoked Paprika and will use a little more in next batch.)
(Pour the spices into a container. You will need to be able to shake the mixture over the baking cereal. I used an empty pepper shaker.)
Shake over warm cereal - stir as you shake. Add 1 small can mixed nuts and 1 can small peanuts.
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(Do not shake the entire spice mix out at one time. Shake as you bake.)
(I love to use toasted pecans but pecans were too expensive this year. For years, we have been spoiled with a big bucket of pecan halves from our aunt and uncle at Christmas.)
(Now comes the fun part. Continue to bake at 350. Set the timer for 8 minutes and take the pan out and put it on the counter. Stir the mixture to coat the cereal evenly. Back in the oven for another 8 minutes. I continue to work with the baked mixture for about 45 minutes. The cereal will get smaller and the flavor will bake into the pieces. When finished, cool the mixture on the counter until you can put it in a sealed container/gallon zipper bag.) As an added note, a dog will think cooling mix smells delicious. Put safety protocol into place.
This recipe is labor intensive but worth the effort. Now I just have to decide who gets this first batch. I have over nine cups of finished Nuts, Bolts and Screws. I will use this one batch for probably three presents.
Enjoy! From my family to yours. Happy baking!
