Like most married couples. my husband and I come from different backgrounds. He’s Baptist, for example, and I’m United Methodist. He listens to Rush Limbaugh and I listen to NPR. And he grew up with Cheerios and mixed nuts in his Chex Mix, and I didn’t. My mom made straight up Chex Mix: Cereal. Pretzels. Peanuts. Plain and simple. (And we called it TV Mix and could annihilate a batch so fast that my mom had to hide it so her efforts wouldn’t disappear in five minutes.) But my husband’s mom always made hers with Cheerios and mixed nuts. That’s what he was used to, and since he loves Chex Mix — I’d go so far as to declare him a Chex Mix connoisseur — I was willing to try it his way. I’ve had varying degrees of success — it really helps if you don’t burn it or use two-year-old cereal you found in the back of the cabinet — but I believe I got it right this time. “This is really good,” he said, munching away this week on my latest attempt. “I believe it’s the best ever. And pretty close to my mom’s.” Success!!!
Coffee with Cathy
Pour a cup & take a break
Coffee with Cathy 
Damn I love chex mix…No cheerios in Germany ! Always had mine with plain nuts! Looks yummy!
You know you have a winner on your hands when it compares favorably to his moms.
It’s all about the butter.
Yup. My husband is right. I finally gave in and used more butter than I usually do, although still a bit less than the recipe calls for. And I did use light butter, so that helps a bit. But that baked-on buttery taste really is the secret.
And thanks, Michele. My mother-in-law was an excellent cook, well known throughout her hometown of Murfreesboro, Tennesssee, for the “treats” she made and distributed during Christmas. She’d start planning and baking in the fall and then go around tin with her holiday tins, giving out treats to the lucky recipients. She hasn’t done that for probably 10 years — she’s in a nursing home now — but people still talk about it!
My husband is very picky about his chex mix as well. I had never had it until after we were married and his mom brought a huge batch to our house for a party. My hubbie enjoyed it so much that I tried to recreate it using my MIL’s recipe, but it just wasn’t the same for him. One try was enough. Now if he wants chex mix, he can either make it himself or beg his mom to make a batch.
Sorry… forgot to say great post – can’t wait to read your next one!
Thanks for the kind words, Mary. Much appreciated.
Okay, cheerios are an abomination in party mix. Chex are a requirement. And plenty of butter, garlic powder, and worcestershire sauce.
And I’m not crazy about pretzels in it, but the hubs makes it that way, and he’s the expert. Funny post!
Becky — I thought just as you do at first, but listen, the Cheerios really grow on you. They get sort of little and crunchy and really are good. Next time you get adventurous, give them a try.