I thought retirement meant no more corporate meetings, no more trade shows, no more deadlines, etc. However, last week I found myself in Baton Rouge doing what I have been doing for the last 25 years. Before I continue, Coach Kiffin was not part of the equation even though he was still “talk” of the town in tiger land. I suppose old habits are hard to break as I helped old colleagues with the booth preparation at the annual Louisiana Mosquito Control Association meeting. Though not in an official capacity, I even interacted with customers and researchers from around the globe talking bugs, control measures, and what the future may entail for the industry.
Granted, part of my attending this meeting was for a retirement event held in my honor, but not the sole reason. I was even asked to assist with a couple of award presentations reminding me of the good ole days of business. Admittedly, I was glad to get on the road back home after a week-long endeavor and back to the business of wading the swamps.
Stacey accompanied me on this trip, and we made a couple of pit stops for fuel and snacks on our trek home to break the drive up. We dove into a bag of Bugles first, those tasty bugle-shaped corn snacks, but this didn’t whet the appetite that was riding in the truck with us. I’m not a huge fan of peanut butter M&Ms so I opted out of this taste test. It wasn’t until we opened a bag of Chex Mix that I realized there was a problem. I absolutely love the mixture of corn, wheat, and rice Chex, peanuts, cashews, and filberts, and the spices that make this treat special. I reached into the bag and came out with a handful of the culinary delight.
To say I was disappointed is an understatement. It was so salty you couldn’t even eat it without diluting it with a gulp of soda. There was no flavor except for the intense sodium explosion. We added a tube of hot, spicy peanuts to see if we could help the mixture. This only made matters worse. The peanuts were just as salty, and the “hot” ingredient was only powder, and it covered the already pungent morsels with additional salt. Into our trash bag the entire package went along with a few comments about how this was a waste of six dollars. Alas though, I had an agenda when we arrived home later that night.
The next morning, Stacey and I bought several boxes of the varieties of Chex cereal, a couple boxes of Cheerios, mixed nuts, dry roasted peanuts, pecans, and pretzels. I bet you have already figured out what my madness was about. To create the concoction of the season, we also needed butter, Worcestershire sauce, Tabasco sauce, celery salt, garlic salt, cayenne pepper, and seasoning salt. It was time to disrupt the kitchen.
Every holiday season, we make several boxes, bags, and tins of what we refer to as “Christmas Trash.” There was no better time than the present to get the holidays started. It looked like a bomb went off in the entire kitchen as I assembled pans, mixing bowls, measuring cups, all in an unorganized order. Stacey shuttered as I began my work. I will share with you the entire process and recipe. We’ll build from here.
Before I continue, I must give credit to my mother for she “built” this treat for our family during Christmas for as many years as I can remember. I still reflect fondly, of those wintry nights when dad and I returned from the swamps and the array of treats mom had prepared for the returning woodsmen. We resembled that of hungry Lab puppies as we scoured the kitchen marauding her works. She just stepped back and smiled as we ravaged through the tins lined with wax paper that held the delicacies. But back to the actual production now.
Here’s the basic recipe, and we’ll go from here. In a large mixing bowl, and I do mean large, add two cups each of wheat, corn, and rice Chex. Add one to two cups of mixed nuts. I use unsalted nuts to keep it from being too salty, but your choice. Add one cup of Cheerios and one cup of pretzels. Fold these ingredients over with a mixing spoon to thoroughly mix the dry ingredients.
Now for the elixir to pour over the dry ingredients, melt one and a half sticks of butter and add a half teaspoon celery salt, a half teaspoon garlic salt, one and a half teaspoons seasoning salt, one tablespoon Worcestershire sauce, a half teaspoon cayenne pepper, and one tablespoon Tabasco sauce. Mix these ingredients in the measuring cup and slowly pour this mixture over the dry ingredients. Hint: pour one third of the elixir and gently fold onto the dry ingredients and do this until the measuring cup is empty. This allows for a more thorough coating of the mixture.
Pre-heat your oven to 250 degrees on bake. Spread the coated mixture evenly onto a shallow, ungreased, baking pan and bake for one hour and 15 minutes stirring every 15 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow it to cool then transfer the seasonal delight to tins lined with wax paper. Now enjoy.
My first stab at the production turned out perfect. Then Stacey said, why don’t you make a batch with a little more “heat?” I embarked on the next journey and repeated the process only doubling the Worcestershire sauce, the Tabasco, and the cayenne pepper. The second batch was even better. Shall we make a third? For the third batch, I added another stick of butter and tripled the Worcestershire, Tabasco, and cayenne pepper. The heat picked up, but still not overwhelmingly. You won’t believe this, but I made a fourth, and fifth batch. too. All of them turned out delicious.
As we continued in the kitchen the first batch began to disappear. We packaged up a tin for our neighbor, Kent Keary, with more deliveries to make soon. These mixes really do make wonderful holiday gifts. With the first batch “taste-tested” time and time again, it began to disappear. I made another. We may have to resort to freezer bags for more holding capacity. Will I make more batches before Christmas? You can count on it. Try these recipes out and “tweak” them based upon your personal taste. Some like it spicy, some like it mild. You’re in control.
I sent pictures to my sister, Jan, and I told her I was in the kitchen with momma’s recipe. She immediately wanted a copy. Oh, how fun those days were spent creating holiday treats with mom. The tradition carries on and I’m still making a mess in the kitchen. Another tip, clean as you go and it’s not that bad.
I invite you to take on this wonderful task over the next few days. It’s fun for all and a great way to start a family tradition if you haven’t already. I keep batches in the truck all winter and even take them to the duck blind. Let me know how yours turns out and if you have other tips and ingredients you prefer, I’d sure like to hear from you. Trust me, you’ll have as much fun making it as you will eating it……maybe.
Until next time enjoy our woods and waters and remember, let’s leave it better than we found it.
jeff.north@northag.net
