Let the party begin

Ever since I was a little girl, I’ve loved a good awards show. The Oscars, Emmys, Golden Globes … it didn’t matter which one. As long as there were red carpets and fancy dresses, I was in.

The Golden Globe Awards are this Sunday night, and in honor of the occasion, I thought I’d mix up some delicious party fare. Here’s the deal: I know some folks do go pretty classy for their award show parties, but my mom and I always liked to treat it like our own version of the Super Bowl. So from a food standpoint, we went the snacky route all the way, always a perfectly balanced mixture of salty goodness to sweet desserts. You know, the kinds of things you could easily grab between critiquing celebrity ensembles and checking your awards ballots.

And when I think of the perfect grab-a-handful-and-go kind of snack that fulfills your salt craving and sends you running for the dessert table not long after, I think of my mother-in-law’s party mix. I first tried her party mix on a ski trip I took with Jared and his parents back when we were still in the just-dating phase, so the taste and smell always remind me of snow and mountains. Not bad for a homemade version of Chex Mix, right?

But there’s a reason to make this stuff homemade rather than running straight to the store for the prepackaged version (not that I don’t love a good bowl of Chex Mix, too). When you’re making it yourself, the spice-to-cereal ratios are totally up to you. So think of the flavor of Chex Mix as the calm older cousin to the version you whip up in your own kitchen. That’s how we like to roll.

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Party Mix

• 1 cup melted butter
• 4 to 5 teaspoons seasoned salt
• 3 teaspoons celery salt
• 1/2 cup Worcestershire
• super duper box of Crispex
• 3 to 4 cups Cheerios
• Small hard pretzels

Mix together first three ingredients, and set aside. Pour all cereal and pretzels into a large shallow roasting pan (Jared’s mom suggests using a big foil pan you could use to roast a turkey, which works really well). Pour melted butter mixture over top, and stir together. Bake in 250-degree oven for 1 hour, stirring every 15 minutes to keep everything well coated.

When it comes to adding the Cheerios and pretzels, you can kind of eyeball it. I usually go for 4 cups of Cheerios and about 2 cups of pretzels. As for the butter/salt/Worcestershire combo, you could definitely bump down to half the amounts listed above (i.e. ½ cup butter, 2 to 2 ½ teaspoons seasoned salt, 1 ½ teaspoons celery salt, ¼ cup Worcestershire). Jared’s mom upped the ante years ago because she found it made for a gooier, clumpier mix, which I think is what makes it taste so great. But I realize that all the extras might not be everyone’s cup of tea, so going halfsies on the aforementioned spice/butter ingredients will still be delish if you’re worried about pleasing those who’d prefer a little less zing.

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This recipe makes tons o’ party mix, so no worries about having enough to feed a crowd. One word of warning though: It’s one of those once-you-start-you-can’t-stop types of snacks. I suppose it’s like Pringles that way. Or is that Lays potato chips? Hmm…

Are you planning to watch the Golden Globes this weekend? If so, what will you nosh while seeing stars? And even if you’re not watching the awards show, what’s your favorite homemade snack food? Do tell!

XO,
Katrina