It’s that time of year again, folks…time for me to BE UP IN VERMONT WHERE I DON’T ACTUALLY HAPPEN TO BE AT THE MOMENT
<sigh>
Yes. This fact does upset me greatly for many reasons, not the least of which is 1.) I miss my family and 2.) Vermont is handling this pandemic a hell of a lot better than Florida.
So I’m coping. I’m allowing myself to keep the thermostat at 78 instead of 81 sometimes, even though I know it will be more expensive in the long run. I ordered a gallon of Extra Dark Maple Syrup straight from Morse Farm, since I wasn’t making the annual pilgrimage to my grandmother’s old house in Montpelier and eating a maple creamee at the sugar shack. I’ve already made plans to set up the tree my big sister Cherie gave me and watch White Christmas on her birthday (November 12—yes, it's early. You have my permission to snap at anyone who gives me grief for this). And today, I made Chex Mix.
Normally, I’d be up at Cherie’s making a bunch of amazing stuff I never bother to make for myself—Chex Mix, apple pie, roasted broccoli, fried rice, Greek chicken, fish tacos… Cherie doesn’t care as long as she doesn’t have to cook, and I happen to be a pretty awesome chef (Greek girl raised next door to Cajuns + Chemist = Excellent in the Kitchen). It’s a win-win.
(PS: That little girl next door just became Head Chef at Commander's Palace in New Orleans -- YAY, MEG!!!)
Making Chex Mix at home used to be very popular. Once Chex started stuffing it in a bag filled with preservatives, people stopped doing that. Which is dumb because 1.) it’s super easy and 2.) it’s so much more healthy and 3.) it’s SO MUCH BETTER.
My family are huge fans of Chex Mix. Over the years, our recipe has evolved to suit our tastes. We like lots of Worcestershire (Lea & Perrins is the best). We don’t care for Wheat Chex and are ambivalent about the pretzels (I like the crunch of the gluten-free ones). We prefer to go easy on the salt. We also don’t like too many peanuts—instead of mixed nuts, we often use only cashews.
Turns out, the concoction we ended up with was also gluten free! Who knew…?
Like many recipes Greeks will give you, please feel free to tinker with the following to your taste. But I encourage you all to give this a try while you’re stuck at home this pandemic-flu season. (You can munch on it while waiting for your sourdough starter to rise!)
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Princess Alethea’s Gluten Free, Super Easy Chex Mix
1/2 cup butter
1 tbsp Lawry’s Seasoned Salt (divided)
5 tbsp Lea & Perrins Worcestershire sauce
4 cups Corn Chex
4 cups Rice Chex
2 cups nuts
2 cups gluten-free pretzels
Preheat oven to 250 degrees.
Melt butter & 1/2 tbsp Lawry’s & Worcestershire and mix well.
Combine Chex, nuts, and pretzels in a Very Large Bowl. (I like layering it with the nuts on top, so that the nuts get the majority of the butter mixture)
Mix Chex mixture with butter mixture until well coated.
Pour into large deep pan/s (I use two 9x12 Pyrex)
Heat for 1 hour, stirring every 20 minutes. One of these times, sprinkle the remaining 1/2 tbsp Lawry’s over the mixture.
Spread on absorbent paper towel to cool (this step is important!)
One good tip is to keep the containers your nuts came in — when the Chex Mix is ready, these are great for storage.
And that’s it! So simple, right? It’s so good…it’s not terrible for you…and it will make your house smell AMAZING.
Bon Appetite!
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This recipe was inspired by last week’s Make Art Not War theme for our collective. Follow #MakeArtNotWar on Twitter and join/follow us in our creative ventures! #covengoals
Members of the Make Art Not War Collective:
K. Tempest Bradford (Twitter/IG/News/Patreon/Tips)
Nivair H. Gabriel
Leanna Renee Hieber (Twitter/IG/News)
Alethea Kontis (Twitter/IG/News/Patreon/Tips)
Stina Leicht (Twitter/Patreon)
Shveta Thakrar (Twitter/IG/News)
Monica Valentinelli (Twitter/IG/News/Patreon)