Red Hot Nuts and Bolts

It's always good to have a little pick-up nibble on hand during the holidays and this spicy, crunchy snack mix fills the bill. A bowl of Red Hot Nuts and Bolts will please your holiday drop-in guests, or pack it into Chinese takeout containers as a welcome hostess or teacher gift.

This makes a big batch of snack mix and the Viking roasting pan is the perfect size to accommodate the whole recipe. If you'd like to tone down the heat a little, decrease the Tabasco sauce and chili powder by half.

• 1 box Wheat Chex
• 1 box Crispix
• 1 bag or box thin pretzels
• 3 cups cheese crackers
• 2 cups pecan halves
• 1 cup melted butter, bacon drippings or margarine
• 1 cup vegetable oil
• 1/3 cup tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
• 2 tablespoon Tabasco sauce
• 1/4 cup chili powder
• 3 tablespoons garlic powder
• 2 tablespoon celery salt
• Special equipment: Large baking pan - a turkey roaster works well
  

Preheat oven to 250 degrees F. Combine cereal, pretzels and cheese crackers in a large roasting pan. Combine melted butter, oil and remaining ingredients in a medium bowl and stir well. Pour seasonings over cereal and stir well with large spoon. Bake for 1 hour, stirring every 15 minutes.  Cool and store in an airtight container.
 
Note: Peanuts, oyster crackers, sesame sticks and Goldfish also make nice good additions to the recipe.