Italian-Herb Party Mix

There is nothing better than starting off a party with a salty and crunchy mix, especially one with an Italian herb flavor. While we have enjoyed the regular chex mix recipe for years, this one is a little more adult-like and perfect for cocktail hour or the big-game.

By making it yourself you can choose what kinds of nuts you like as well as pretzels. The fresh herbs also flavor this nicely along with the Parmesan cheese.

Since this can be prepped ahead you will have time to take care of other things. Enjoy it! We did.

Preheat oven to 250^o F. Mix cereal, pretzels and nuts for the party mix in a large bowl; set aside.

Melt butter in a saucepan over medium-low heat. Add oil, vinegar, Worcestershire, Italian seasoning, pepper flakes, garlic salt, garlic powder and onion powder; stir to combine.

Off heat pour butter-spice mixture over party mix and keep tossing until it is fully coated.

Transfer party mix to a baking sheet. Bake mix 1-1-1/4 hours (I did mine for 1 hour only), stirring every 15 minutes.

Combine Parmesan, basil and rosemary in a bowl, sprinkle over party mix and toss together while mix is still warm. Cool mix on a baking sheet and store in an airtight container up to 1 week.

Did I tell you it pairs nicely with our Pinot Noir?

Italian-Herb Party Mix

For the party mix-
2 cups each: Chex Corn, Chex Rice and Chex Wheat cereal squares
2 cups mini pretzels*
1 cup nuts**

For the Butter-Spice Mixture-
4 Tablespoons unsalted butter
1/4 cup olive oil
2 Tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1 Tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 Tablespoon dried Italian seasoning
1/2 teaspoon each: red pepper flakes, garlic salt, garlic powder and onion powder

For the Cheese-Herb Mixture-
1/2 cup grated Parmesan
1/2 cup chopped fresh basil***
1-1/2 teaspoons chopped fresh rosemary

Preheat oven to 250^o F. Mix cereal, pretzels and nuts for the party mix in a large bowl; set aside.

Melt butter in a saucepan over medium-low heat. Add oil, vinegar, Worcestershire, Italian seasoning, pepper flakes, garlic salt, garlic powder and onion powder; stir to combine.

Off heat pour butter-spice mixture over party mix and keep tossing until it is fully coated.

Transfer party mix to a baking sheet. Bake mix 1-1-1/4 hours (I did mine for 1 hour only), stirring every 15 minutes.

Combine Parmesan, basil and rosemary in a bowl, sprinkle over party mix and toss together while mix is still warm. Cool mix on a baking sheet and store in an airtight container up to 1 week.

*For the pretzels you can use any shape, just make sure they are small.
**The recipe suggested using slivered almonds, I used cashews, but any nuts will do.
***I used freeze-dried basil (which is different than dried) which worked well.

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