Magic on Main Street: Chex Mix

I've been meaning to talk about this recipe ever since The Games of Enemies and Allies came out, but it required a field trip to the grocery store so I kept forgetting about it!

In the United States there is a specific type of breakfast cereal called "x Chex" where x is the type or flavor of Chex cereal. There are quite a few flavors to pick from at most grocery stores (see the photo below) but the classic three that matter for this recipe are Rice Chex, Corn Chex, and Wheat Chex. The poor Wheat Chex type has lost a lot of popularity with the need for gluten free products which I think is probably why in the photo below there are generic cereal versions for only Rice Chex and Corn Chex.

The original recipe that was created using this cereal is called "Chex Party Mix" (because it's using the "Chex" part from the name of the cereal). The Chex cereal box always has the official recipe printed on it - that's how popular it is!

As a side note in my experience I have heard people call this recipe a variety of names so I polled both Instagram and Facebook to ask what they called it, and the resounding answer was the slightly shortened "Chex Mix" although a surprisingly number of people called it "Trash" in their families!

This variety of names for the same recipe is also why I had Jade call it "Party Mix" in the book but her neighbor called it "Chex Mix". There is a completely different packaged snack mix in the United States called "Party Mix" so this can get pretty confusing!

But what is Chex Mix?

If you've never eaten this snack before I realize it can be hard to just look at a photo and imagine what it tastes like. The original recipe is savory in taste and the texture is mostly crunchy - here's the original recipe from the cereal brand's website.

The photo below is from @thewellreadpotato from my Street Team and the version of the recipe is her photo looks pretty close to the classic version, although there appears to be more butter being used than the "official" recipe. By the way, Chex Mix uses Worcestershire sauce which is why everything gets a brown coating on it. In the photo below those dark brown chunks in the middle of the pretzels are from the melted butter + Worcestershire sauce + spices that was poured onto the cereal and pretzels and then dried. Those dark brown chunk parts are the best and I remember fighting to get those pieces when I was a kid.

But the awesome thing about this recipe is there are a lot of options to customize it. It's very common for families to have their own customized version of this recipe that is an ongoing tradition.

For example, some people change the flavor a bit by by adding M and M candies to make it sweet, or adding flavored chips to give it a different savory taste. Other families just tweak the existing ingredients (my family uses a LOT more butter compared to the official recipe which would mean all the cereal and other ingredients get more of a buttery coating on them). There is even a completely different recipe that still uses Chex cereal with powder sugar, chocolate, and peanut butter called Muddy Buddies.

The end result is Chex Mix is a very well know snack in the United States even though most people don't eat it very often, but it also typically generates a nostalgia feeling for most people (and their custom family version) so it was a perfect recipe for Jade to attempt!

Magic on Main Street: Baking Inspiration

I've seen a lot of discussion about Jade's baking mishaps on the blog/discord/Facebook, so I wanted to share more about the inspiration behind it!

Thanks to Joyce/Moon Shadow Press from my Street Team for this awesome image! As we've seen in this series (and in the short story, Family Bonding) Jade is very close to her family - both her nuclear/immediate family and her extended family including her grandparents, uncles, aunts, cousins, etc. In the Midwest food is a big deal at family get togethers (I realize this happens in other areas too!) and favorite family recipes are a vital part of the holidays and extended get togethers. These recipes are often either a closely guarded secret, handed down with utmost reverence, or given out in broken bits that leaves the family member attempting to reproduce the recipe foam at the mouth and losing their mind. As someone who has experienced hardships while trying to reproduce family recipes and/or while attempting to document favorite family recipes electronically, Jade's situations are pulled from my firsthand experiences!

I specifically wanted to show you the recipe that has infuriated me the most. Behold:

Notice the following highlights:

1. Torn edges and rips

2. Mysterious stains

3. Places where the ink has faded/run

4. The fact that it is obviously written on a random scratch piece of paper of unknown origin

5. The dividing line after the cocoa ingredient that makes no sense

6. And the overall lack of instructionsCan you tell what recipe this is? (Originally this little piece of paper didn't even have the recipe name on it, but I previously rage wrote the name at the top of the paper, which is why it is folded over in the first photo.) For those of you that are amazing bakers who have your own trademark recipes I hope Jade's experience has given you a little empathy for all of us who struggle to follow what you tell us to do. And if you have failed at reproducing a family recipe in the past please know that you are not alone and you are probably in the majority! The answer to what recipe this is: this is my Mom's recipe for tuxedo cupcakes AKA black bottom cupcakes. They are very delicious and were a childhood favorite of mine. However, they are a sore spot of mine because one year for Christmas as a gift to my mom I typed out our family's most famous recipes and uploaded them to the computer. My mom was thrilled, but was surprised I hadn't included the tuxedo cupcakes since they're so beloved. I hadn't included them because this recipe had no title, so when I was pawing through her recipe box I found the scrap piece of paper, was mystified, and continued on. When I said I didn't include them because I couldn't find the tuxedo cupcake recipe, she pulled this ratty thing out and apparently thought I should recognize it based on the ingredients alone?? (She laughed hard when I pointed out the recipe lacked a title, and at the time didn't even have a complete set of instructions.) So, yes, I have a lot of sympathy for Jade. (Don't even get me started on the multiple recipes my mom has given me that require a specific bowl that was made in the 70s to reproduce, because she doesn't know the amount of ingredients that goes in, she just knows what it should look like in the bowl. My family hit up a lot of estate sales to find and purchase multiple copies of that bowl--again, made in the 70s--so we can actually recreate the recipes and just in case the original bowl should ever break.) Have you ever experienced family recipe hardships? Share them in the comments below!

What to read after Magic on Main Street series?

So you've finished The Order of Blood and Ruin and now you are wondering what to read next? Here's some helpful information about books and bonus content related to Magic on Main Street and other popular series I've written so you can decide what to binge next!

Recommendation # 1: If you haven't finished the other Magiford Supernatural Series trilogies go read those now! The official Kitty recommendation is to start with Hall of Blood and Mercy series and then Court of Midnight and Deception series. There are two more trilogies after that (Pack of Dawn and Destiny and Gate of Myth and Power) but you can read them in any order. But you can also read them in any order you want as each series is mostly self contained. Hall of Blood and Mercy - An underdog wizard is driven out of her house in a coup and is taken in by the most dangerous vampire in the region. If you loved the Drake vampires in the Magic on Main Street series then this trilogy will feel like your favorite dessert as a follow up! Tropes: Opposites attract and enemies to lovers. Court of Midnight and Deception - A reluctant half Fae is selected as the new Queen of the Night Court and picks the deadly court assassin as her consort. Tropes: Marriage of Convenience, coffee, and magic pets! Pack of Dawn and Destiny - When werewolves start turning feral and mindlessly attacking innocent humans Hunter Pip is forced to team up with werewolf Alpha Greyson to crush the source of the outbreak. Tropes: Fated Mates and Found Family Gate of Myth and Power - Chloe can turn into a cat! Unfortunately for her Noctus, the deadly elf king secretly living in her city, decided to do a good deed and adopts the "stray cat" that the local fae are picking on. Tropes: Hades & Persephone retelling (yes, really!) and found family Recommendation # 2: Make sure you’ve read all the bonus short stories I’ve written Magiford books! In addition to the short stories there are a ton of other fun things like character bios and worldbuilding blog posts that talk about the different types of supernaturals in Magiford. Recommendation # 3: Have you seen the bonus short story for Magiford that is only available as part of my newsletter? It's related to the Hall of Blood and Mercy series, so if you haven't read it yet signup for my newsletter and get the link! (If you don't want to receive my newsletter long term it's ok to unsubscribe after you get the short story - I promise it doesn't hurt my feelings!).

Recommendation # 4: I have several other books I've written that have the same humor, magical fantasy, and slow burn romance as the Magiford stories. But before I can recommend which you should try I need to know what fantasy genres you like?

1. If you love Paranormal Romance and/or Urban Fantasy then I have another series I wrote that is not part of the Magiford world. The Magical Beings' Rehabilitation Center (MBRC) is a completed series that follows the journey of teenage Morgan discovering vampires, werewolves, dinosaurs, and elves are both real and secretly living among regular humans. Once she learns their secret they draft her into teaching them about the very confusing human culture topics and slang. This is arguably the funniest series I have ever written so as long as you are OK with some paranormal satire (I tease because I care!) you should give this a read! If you love Epic Fantasy then I have two potential series I recommend!

2. If you want something with lots of battles/fighting or if you like the King Arthur myths then try the King Arthur and Her Knights series! This is my own spin on the classic King Arthur stories and features a time traveling modern women who is forced by the surprisingly young and handsome Merlin to pose as the King Arthur from legends. And there is NO LOVE TRIANGLE in my version (although Guinevere and Lancelot do appear). Side tip: The audiobook version of this series is amazing so go listen to the preview on Audible even if you don't plan to buy it - you'll thank me!

3. If you love Epic Fantasy mixed with fairy tales then check out The Snow Queen series. In this timeless good versus evil story the princess Rakel must team up with the very people who have kept her imprisoned to save their country from an invading army of magic users who intend to destroy them all. Finally, if you'd really love some good Romantasy in your life then try one of these:

4. In the Elves of Lessa series the humans of Calnor have protected the elves of Lessa for centuries but have remained divided due to the deep differences in their languages and culture... until now! This is a series of standalone books so even though there will eventually be four books in the series you can read the existing three books with no cliffhangers. If you've ever wished you could read the story of how Aragon and Arwen from Lord of the Rings fell in love then these books are exactly what you are looking for!
   

5. If you love fairy tales I have a 11 book series of standalone, but related, stories that are just what you are looking for! The Timeless Fairy Tales series includes Disney favorites (like Beauty and the Beast) as well as lesser know stories (like The Twelve Dancing Princesses) and since they are standalone you can read them out of order so I recommend you start with your favorite fairy tale and go from there.