Earl Cooks Snak Mix Mix-Up

If you have been reading here, you may have noticed that I like Chex Mix. I learned to like it in the 60s when my mom made it from scratch, and still love the savory saltiness of the crunchy morsels and nuts. But it seems crazy for me to buy 3 boxes of cereal, bagel crisps a pretzels to make today's version. There is just the two of us and we don't eat much cereal! I decided to take what they are already giving us in the prepackaged mix and reinvent it so it TASTES like it should. And this time, I am adding another favorite - Gardetto's Snack Mix to make it that much better! These products are very similar and the bags are both about 15 oz. in the family size. The other main ingredients are deluxe mixed nuts from Sam's Club and REAL butter. 

For seasoning, the two brand name items I recommend for their consistent flavor and quality are Lea & Perrin's Worcestershire Sauce and Lawry's Seasoned Salt. Why? Two reasons, the first is,  it was in the original recipe. The second is that they are both originals too. Because the pre-made mixes have a lot of salt, I will go light on these because of their salt content.

 The final additions to the mix are ground mustard, garlic POWDER and onion POWDER (not salt). These three enhance the flavors of the seasoned salt, without the salt. The mustard gives a very light bright and fresh flavor.

Results & Conclusions 
This turned out great! I should have doubled the recipe because I liked it so well. A great replacement for the original and no leftover cereal! The steps and quantities follow:
Ingredients:
½ bag each of Original Chex Mix & Original Gardetto's Snack Mix
2 cups Deluxe Mixed Nuts
1 stick REAL butter
2 tsp Lea & Perrin's® Worcestershire Sauce 
1 tsp Lawry's® Seasoned Salt
½ tsp ground mustard (or to taste)
½ tsp garlic powder
½ tsp onion powder 

Steps

• In a large, oven-proof mixing bowl (I used a metal one), melt the butter in a 250℉ oven. 
• When melted, add to the butter ALL the seasonings and mix them together well. 
• Add to the butter & seasonings, the mixed nuts and make certain they are well coated.
• Now add the packaged mixes and stir everything until well coated.
• Finally, pour the mix onto a baking sheet. Bake at 250℉ until the crunch is restored and the butter & seasoning have soaked in. Store in an airtight container or zipper bag. (I put a folded paper towel in the container to absorb any humidity.