Fruit Party Mix

How about trying this merry little treat for the Holidays?  It's simple, quick and stores well in air tight containers.

Combine 4 cups of tiny pretzels, 1 cup of dried tart cherries, 1 cup of salted mixed nuts, and 1 cup of banana chips. Lightly mix and serve.

Here are some mixes and recipes that would be fantastic for gift giving.  These recipes are from "The Perfect Mix", by Diane Phillips.

Ranch-Style Dressing and Dip Mix
1 1/2 tbsps. dried parsley
1/4 tbsp. dried tarragon
1 tbsp. salt
1/2 tbsp. garlic powder
1/2 tbsp. dried chives
1/2 tbsp. lemon pepper
1/4 tbsp. dried oregano

In a medium bowl, combine all ingredients.  Store in an airtight container.

1/2 cup mayonnaise
1 tbsp. Ranchstyle Dressing and
1/2 cup buttermilk
Dip Mix

In a large bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise, buttermilk and dressing mix.
Refrigerate for one hour before serving.

Ranch Dip
Makes 2 cups

2 tbsps. Ranch-style Dressing and Dip Mix   1 cup sour cream or
1 cup mayonnaise or low=fat mayonnaise low-fat yogurt

Combine the dressing with mayonnaise and sour cream.  Refrigerate for 2 hours
before serving with raw vegetables, or as a topping for baked potatoes or
steamed vegetables.

Nuts, Bolts And Screws

1 pound pecans
1 large box Cheerios
1 medium box stick pretzels
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 box Wheat Chex
2 tablespoons salt
1 tablespoon garlic salt
1 pound margarine or butter

Melt butter in large roaster. Pour in all cereals, nuts and pretzels and the seasonings. Set oven at 200 degrees. Bake for 1 hour, stirring every 15 minutes.

Nuts & Bolts Recipes

Here are three variations of an all time favourite for those festive parties, nuts & bolts!

     Recipe 1
     A Manning Family Favourite

Ingredients:
4 cups of Cheerios
4 cups of Shreddies
3 cups of short straight pretzels
1 cup of salted dry-roasted mixed nuts, (Salted dry-roasted peanuts can be substituted for the mixed nuts.)
1-half of a cup of margarine
1 to 1.5  teaspoons of hickory salt
1-half of a teaspoon of granulated garlic
1-half of a teaspoon of paprika
10 to 15 dashes of Worcestershire sauce,

WARNING: Before adding the cereals to the mixture, they must be thoroughly checked for any paper or plastic toys or other premiums. If these are not removed, they could spoil, or even destroy an entire batch of nuts & bolts!

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 150 to 165 Celsius, 300 to 325 Fahrenheit. Combine the  first four ingredients in a large roasting pan, mixing well with hands. Melt the margarine, then add to it the hickory salt, the granulated garlic, the paprika, and the Worcestershire sauce, then stir well. Pour the melted mixture over the dry ingredients, stir well and put in the oven for 30 minutes. Take out, shake and stir every 7 to 8 minutes. Each time the nuts & bolts are removed from the oven, take a small sample and place in small dish, allow to cool and taste. Add additional spices as desired.

Recipe 2

Ingredients:
6 tablespoons of butter or margarine
1 teaspoon of hickory salt
1 teaspoon of garlic salt
4 teaspoons of Worcestershire sauce
2 cups of Cheerios
2 cups of Shreddies
2 cups of short straight pretzels
3-quarters of a cup of salted dry-roasted mixed nuts. Salted dry-roasted peanuts can be substituted for the mixed nuts.

WARNING: Before adding the cereals to the mixture, they must be thoroughly checked for any paper or plastic toys or other premiums. If these are not removed, they could spoil, or even destroy an entire batch of nuts & bolts!

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 120 Celsius, 250 Fahrenheit. Heat the butter or margarine in a 33 by 23 by 5 centimeter, 13 by 9 by 2 inch, pan until melted, then remove. Stir in the seasoned salts and Worcestershire sauce, and mix. Add the dry ingredients and the nuts. Mix until all pieces are coated then heat in oven for a total of 45 minutes. After 15 minutes, remove from oven and stir again. With the stirring spoon, take a sample of the mixture and put it in a cool saucer, then return the rest of the mixture to oven. Taste the sample to see if it is seasoned sufficiently. After another 15 minutes, remove mixture from oven and add extra seasonings as desired and stir once again. After another 15 minutes of roasting, allow to cool thoroughly before storing your nuts & bolts in air-tight containers. It is recommended that you freeze any of these containers you don't plan to use within about a month.

Recipe 3

Ingredients:
450 grams or 16 ounces of Unsalted deluxe mixed nuts
450 grams 16 ounces Unsalted cashews
1 package of Shreddies small box
1 package of Cheerios small box
225 grams or 8 ounces of Pretzel sticks
2 cups of Peanut oil or 1 cup of Butter and 1 cup of peanut oil
2 tablespoons of Worchestshire sauce
1 tablespoon of Garlic
1 tablespoon of Seasoned salt
1 teaspoon of Celery salt

WARNING: Before adding the cereals to the mixture, they must be thoroughly checked for any paper or plastic toys or other premiums. If these are not removed, they could spoil, or even destroy an entire batch of nuts & bolts!

Directions:
In a turkey-size roasting pan combine the first five ingredients. Mix the remaining ingredients together and pour over mixture in pan. Bake at 95 Celsius or 200 Fahrenheit for 2 hrs.

Stir frequently approximately every 30 minutes. Pack into jars or freezer bags and this can be frozen. This can be cut in half.