Nuts and Bolts

Nana has a stack of recipes she only makes this time of year. I am gonna work my way through these recipes in order to share them with you. She's probably got a system to bang these out each year, and I've got two kids, so we'll see how long this takes.

Nuts and Bolts is basically Chex Mix, but in our family we like to take it to the next level by adding as many nuts as we can get away with. It's cause we're a nutty bunch! We're addicted to this stuff, and it's a good thing Nana only makes it at Christmas when we're planning on wearing our stretchy pants anyway. If I ate this year long, I'd be in trouble!

Now I have to admit, this isn't exactly Nana's recipe. That's because she actually gave me two different recipes for the same thing. They are both very large recipes, so the following is scaled back for ease of cooking. And edited. And probably she won't recognize it. But she better like it cause I just made a huge batch to share this weekend. It tastes the same to me, so I think she will like it. Cross your fingers for me please!

Nuts and Bolts
Click here for the Printable Recipe at Tasty Kitchen

3 cups Plain Cheerios
3 cups Rice Chex
3 cups Corn Chex
3 cups Wheat Chex
1 cup Pretzel Sticks, (the small skinny ones)
1 cup Mixed Nuts
1/2 cup Pecans
1/2 cup Cashews
6 tablespoons butter or margarine
2 tablespoons Worcestershire Sauce (Lea & Perrin's, if you please)
1 1/2 teaspoons Salt (I used Lawry's Seasoned Salt, but table salt is fine)
3/4 teaspoon Garlic Powder
1/2 teaspoon Onion Powder


Preheat oven to 250 degrees. In a large roasting pan, mix together cereals, nuts and pretzels. Melt butter and add to it the seasonings and mix well. Drizzle butter mixture over the cereal mix and stir well. Bake for 2 hours, stirring well every 15-20 minutes.

Store in gallon sized ziploc bags or in a large popcorn tin. And don't forget your stretchy pants!

Nigella Christmas

Nigella Lawson is my favorite TV Food Personality. So I was thrilled to get this book last Christmas. Nigella Christmas combines some of my favorite things: Christmas, great writing, beautiful photography, and of course food.

Anyone who is familiar with Nigella will know that she has a knack for description. Her writing style is so comfortable; it makes you feel like you are her good friend and she is just having a chat with you. She also knows that for the home cook, things can get hectic around the holidays. She provides you with tips to streamline your holiday preparations and a Christmas Lunch Countdown to keep you on track and on time. Her no-nonsense, laid-back approach will put you at ease.

The photography by Lis Parsons will make you drool. Seriously, it's a pleasure just to flip through this book only looking at the pictures. Not only are there photos of the food, but also Christmas decorations and tablescapes. It will really get you in the mood for Christmas.

But just looking at the pictures will not do. These recipes must be made! The only problem is deciding which recipe to make first.

I've already made some of these recipes like her Spiced and Superjuicy Roast Turkey and Ginger-Glazed Ham. This year I've got my eye on her Peas with Pancetta in Cream All'Italiana, Maple-Roast Parsnips, Incredibly Easy Chocolate Fruit Cake, and Chocolate Sponge Pudding for Christmas Pudding Haters with Hot Chocolate Sauce. I'm really looking forward to trying these out.