Mom's Party Mix

Okay, so I've had my share of party mixes. Between youth group, slumber parties, and receptions with h'or h'ouer hors d'oeuvres, I've tried many, many different kinds. Sweet and salty, the jalapeño-y kind, double cheese, cool ranch, Italian-seasoned (which my dad affectionately calls "dragon breath seasoning").... I think I've probably tried them all. Or at least most.

But my mom's party mix outshines them all.

Now, I'm not just saying this be cause she's my mom (though don't get me wrong, my mom is THE BEST and it would totally be a legitimate reason). And actually, she's pretty sure she just took the original recipe from like a cereal box or something, and then tweaked it over the years to make it better... it dates all the way back to the recipe box she made in a Home Ec class she took in high school! But it is seriously the best party mix ever. I'll make three pans of it, and it won't last through the weekend at my house.

But today's your lucky day, because I'm going to share this not-so-top-secret recipe so that YOU too can enjoy the best party mix in the world!

Mom's Party Mix

Prep time: 10-15 minutes
Bake time: 1 hour
Bake @ 250°

Dry Ingredients:
1 c. pretzel sticks
1 c. salted peanuts
2 c. Cheerios
2 c. wheat Chex
3 c. corn Chex
**Here's the thing. It doesn't matter exactly what you put into the mix, as long as it equals 9 cups of dry ingredients. You can use Honey Nut Cheerios if you like a little more sweet with your salty. You can use Crispix or Kix instead of Chex. My college roommate and I used to joke about making this with 9 cups of Chex, because that's our favorite part. Mom tends to use whatever is left over in the pantry. In fact: you can even use stale cereal or pretzels! Since it's being baked, you can't even tell that anything used to be stale.

Wet Ingredients: 
1/2 c. melted butter (equals 1 stick)
1-1/2 T. Worcestershire sauce
1-1/4 t. Season-All season salt

Put all the dry ingredients in a bowl. Mix the wet ingredients together, then pour over the dry ingredients. If your bowl has a lid, then put it on, turn up the music and DANCE while you shake the bowl. This coats the dry ingredients with the melted buttery goodness. If you are unfortunate enough to have a lid-less bowl, then use a spoon or spatula to make sure that the mixture is coated evenly. Then pour everything into a 9x13 baking pan.

Bake at 250° for 1 hour, stirring thoroughly every 15 minutes.
After baking, Mom often lines the bottom of the pan with a paper towel, and lets it soak up the excess grease. Definitely not a mandatory step, but an option if you want something a little less greasy.

I decided to make two batches this evening while I was typing this up, and it's making the whole house smell SO GOOD. Can't wait til it's done! And here's hoping it lasts til lunchtime tomorrow....