White Trash Chex Mix

The first tomato July 1st. Cherokee Purple again. The ritual unchanged — kitchen, knife, bread, Duke's, salt, sink. The juice. The closing of the eyes. The opening of the eyes. Connie's mmm from the doorway. Fifth year of the mmm. The mmm is as reliable as the tomato now, as seasonal, as certain.

Made a tomato pie Saturday — something I've been wanting to try. Sliced tomatoes layered in a pie crust with mayo and cheddar and basil, baked until bubbling. A Southern thing, not specifically Appalachian, but close enough. Betty would have opinions about tomato pie — opinions about putting tomatoes in a crust when God intended them for a sandwich — but Betty's opinions are three hours south and the pie is here and the pie is good, crispy on top and soft inside and tasting like the garden distilled into a slice.

Fourth of July coming. The planning has begun. The ribs are ordered. The bourbon sauce is ready — a jar in the refrigerator, same recipe, refined over four years. The Hensley Bourbon Sauce. Connie suggested I sell it. I said I'm not selling it. She said why not. I said because selling it would make it a product and right now it's a gift, and a gift is more valuable than a product because a gift comes with the hands that made it and a product comes with a barcode.

The bourbon sauce is already handled — jar in the fridge, four years of refinement behind it — and the ribs don’t go on until afternoon, which means there’s a gap, that pre-cookout window when people are showing up and the grill isn’t ready and everyone needs something to do with their hands. That’s where this White Trash Chex Mix comes in. No pretense, no provenance, just a bowl of something sweet and salty and completely impossible to stop eating — exactly what a Fourth of July afternoon calls for while the real food takes its time.

Prep Time: 10 minutes | Cook Time: 1 hour | Total Time: 1 hour 10 minutes | Servings: 16

Ingredients

9 cups Rice Chex cereal
2 cups mini pretzels
2 cups plain M&Ms
2 cups dry-roasted peanuts
1 cup golden raisins (optional)
2 (12 oz) packages white chocolate chips or white almond bark
2 tablespoons vegetable oil

Instructions

Combine the dry mix. In a very large mixing bowl, stir together the Rice Chex, mini pretzels, M&Ms, peanuts, and raisins if using. Spread the mixture across two parchment-lined baking sheets.
Melt the white chocolate. In a microwave-safe bowl, combine the white chocolate chips and vegetable oil. Microwave in 30-second intervals, stirring between each, until fully melted and smooth — about 2 to 3 minutes total. Do not overheat.
Coat the mix. Pour the melted white chocolate evenly over the dry mixture on the baking sheets. Use a spatula to gently fold and toss until everything is well coated.
Spread and cool. Spread the coated mix into a single layer as best you can. Let it sit at room temperature for 45 minutes to 1 hour, until the white chocolate is fully set.
Break and serve. Once set, break the mix into clusters with your hands. Transfer to a large serving bowl or store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to one week.

Nutrition (per serving)

White Trash Chex Mix — The Snack That Shows Up Before the Ribs Do