"Poverty Party Mix"

Barbara

Holiday time means once-a-year kind of treats — lovely baked goods, tins full of popcorn, and candies galore. Everyone has certain foods without which it just wouldn't feel like the holidays. For me, it's hoska , a Czech bread that my sister makes from our grandmother's recipe. That's always been a family tradition.

Since moving to Sioux Falls, some new holiday treats have become somewhat of a tradition for me. Specifically, a recipe that Staci recently bestowed on me — her mother's party mix.

There are lots of types of party mix , but this was the best I'd ever tasted. This is my third December working with Staci, and each year the mix has made a brief appearance at the office. Brief because it's so good, it doesn't last long! This year, I decided I would be able to control myself with the recipe and not eat the entire batch in one sitting. So, I asked and received.

Now, I knew the basic ingredients — various cereals, pretzels, and assorted nuts. What I didn't know was the cost to buy those ingredients. Let me tell you folks: Nuts are spendy! I went with Staci as she stocked up to make her own batch and was not prepared for that price tag. Maybe I wouldn't be making my own!

I decided to try my hand at making the mix. But instead of following the recipe verbatim, I made some budget-friendly alterations, dubbing it "Poverty Party Mix."

First, I scrapped the nuts. They're not my favorite part of the mix anyway, so I could live without them. Next, I went generic. Crispix^®?  No way, Hy-Vee^®  Crispy Hexagons all the way. Cheerios^®?  Not so much. Hy-Vee^® Tasteeos work just as well. For full disclosure I did buy Kix^® , but only because there was not a cheaper generic equivalent.

So how'd it turn out? Fantastic! No one can tell the difference between the brand-name and store cereal, and the nuts weren't missed.

Feel free to share any other budget-friendly holiday treats. I should probably expand my palate past the party mix!

Oh and if you're curious about the recipe, here you go: Melt 3 sticks of butter in a roasting pan at 250 degrees, then mix in the cereal and add garlic salt to taste. Bake uncovered for an hour and a half, stirring and seasoning every 30 minutes, and presto, you have garlicky, buttery goodness to make the season a bit brighter!