This time of year reminds me of many holiday traditions.

  • church Christmas pageants – you know who you are
  • school choir solos
  • Salvation Army bell ringing
  • family Christmas gathering
  • shopping at the school store – you know where you took your parent’s hard earned money and bought them something ridiculously cheap
  • driving around the “fancy” neighborhood looking at Christmas lights
  • Ritz crackers and peanut butter covered with chocolate – thank you, Uncle Keith!
  • making fudge
  • making sugar cookies
  • making more fudge, because dad ate it all
  • making thumbprint cookies
  • making chocolate crinkles
  • making Texas Trash (Chex mix)

Honestly, making is my favorite thing.  And, making with my mom is my most favorite.  Making a mess, making all her dishes dirty, making my dad crazy….just making at its finest.

Over the weekend, my Love asked if we could make something for his co-workers and I jumped at the chance to get my kitchen (more) dirty! I made a quick trip to the Dollar Tree for buckets and then gathered all the items needed for Chex Party Mix and the extra ones I wanted to make a new version.

Now, at my house growing up, we called this Texas Trash growing up. I know you just rolled your eyes, but I didn’t know any better. We lived in Texas and we stored it in those big popcorn tins which we also used by the couch as a trash can.  Context clues…it all came together.

Since my brand new baby niece is about to make her grand appearance, I thought it would be fun to share my new version that I’m calling Nacho Ranchy Texas Trash…but I’m guessing we will really land on calling it Grandad Crunch!

Nacho Ranchy Texas Trash (Chex Party Mix): Grandad Crunch | bigpittstop.com

I can see it now.  My dad would get a red Tupperware Tumbler and sit in “his seat” on the couch and crunch away as he scrolled through between any variety of “boy movies” and 10 o’clock news.  I love those memories and a new baby niece to make more with. Now she gets to smell the stinky breath that comes with the yummiest Granddad Crunch!

Are there people in your family that have a signature item they always request or eat?

Nacho Ranchy Texas Trash is the perfect snack mix for any occasion. Christmas Gatherings always call for a snack mix, but so do Super Bowl parties, kids birthday party favors, baby and wedding showers, and graduation gatherings. We love to make this for gifts for teachers or when we have an extended board or work meeting that needs snacks. You really need no excuse for this cheesy, crunchy snack mix with a hint of tangy ranch the makes it zippy, salty, and addictive.
perfectly salty, tangy, and mildly addictive.