TASTY TUESDAY, AUGUST 31, 2021 – NATIONAL TRAIL MIX DAY
It’s National Trail Mix Day today! Trail Mix, Snack Mix, Chex Mix, Party Mix – this goes by many names and there are many ingredients to choose from – all depending on what you have on hand and what you enjoy. I learned to eat – and make – this trail snack mix from my mother probably about 60 years ago or so. But I make it different almost every time I make it. Except maybe at winter holiday time when I almost always have to make a Chex Mix like on the back of the cereal boxes – that is how my mother made it and it just holds special memories for me. However you decide to make it, it is always delicious and easy to take with you on a hike or walk, a road trip or to snack on while watching a movie or television show. It is also great to package and give as gifts for any occasion including “just because”. Maybe to eat on break or recess at work or school. Must be a million reasons. Sometimes I look in my pantry and notice a lot of different “snack” foods and decide they’d be great put together with a little slightly spicy “sauce” and I almost always have those ingredients in my pantry. Unless you need to get the ingredients from a store, it isn’t costly to make because you are essentially using “leftovers” to combine and make something new. So, let me give you some ideas and you can decide what you’d like to make. If you keep it in containers that are closed tightly it keeps for weeks unless you like it so much it disappears almost instantly!
TRAIL MIX
I’ll make this recipe for 1 batch, but I usually make 3-4 batches at least at one time. I use a large roasting pan because I have had one for years. BUT if you do not have a roaster or very large oven safe pan, you can make 1 batch at a time or even go to your local dollar store and probably find an aluminum large pan that would work perfectly. It bakes in the oven and gets stirred every 20 minutes for an hour total, so you need to have room to do that.
Use 9-10 cups dry snacking ingredients like cereals, crackers, nuts, pretzels, etc – all small in size for snacking. I break up large pretzels, I use cereals – even sweetened cereals – crackers of various flavors, nuts of any kind, usually salted but doesn’t have to be. Here I used popped popcorn, and I had bought some packages of snack mix at the grocery on special sale for $0.49 each so I opened them and added them. I often like to add Asian crackers and spiced peas/lentils, but I didn’t have any this day.
As you can see, after the mix had cooled, I added little chocolate pieces (I wouldn’t suggest using chocolate type chips unless it is winter, as they will melt in hot weather. You could also add dried cranberries but after it is completed, not for the oven.)
The “sauce” is
½ cup butter (or margarine)
2 teaspoons celery salt or celery seed
¼ cup Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon garlic salt
1 teaspoon chili powder
You can add other spices or/and herbs if you want – just don’t over add, you can’t take it out if it’s too much.
Melt the butter, stir in Worcestershire sauce, and other spices/herbs. Remove from heat and let stand. Combine everything else and mix well in roasting pan or pan that it will fit in and be fine in the oven for an hour at low heat.
Blend all together well. Bake uncovered in slow oven (250 degrees F) for 1 hour stirring every 20 minutes to make sure the sauce gets on each piece.
Spread on absorbent paper – brown bag, paper towels or you could even use a clean dish cloth. Let cool.
Store in airtight containers. This makes about 3 quarts.
Like I said, I make 3-4 batches at one time. But I hope you will try at least one batch. I like to add chips (not fragile potato chips) of any kind too – it refreshes stale crackers and chips so you don’t waste your ingredients. I love to put them in baggies with ribbon or cans I buy at hobby stores for gifts. Always well received.
Be sure to make enough for yourself!
Bon Appetite’ with Love,
To download this recipe, click here.