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Nuts 'n' Bolts (party like it's 1979)

A few years ago, I was at a potluck Christmas party. A friend showed up in high rockabilly style, carrying a huge Tupperware container.
“Nuts’n’Bolts,” she said with a grin. “You know, the kind with all those weird salts… seasoning salt, celery salt, garlic salt. And butter. There’s, like, a pound of butter.”
With one handful I was instantly transported to my childhood, playing Trivial Pursuit at the living room coffee table and next to a big teak salad bowl of homemade party mix. As soon as I could, I dug out my mom’s old recipe. To the nostalgic delight of friends over 30, I’ve been making it (and gifting it) every year since.
This stuff is easy and inexpensive and it makes people happy. Active prep time is about 10 mins. It’s a slow toast on a low heat—about 3 hours.
INGREDIENTS
3-4 cps each (according to the size of your roasting pan):
- Cheerios
- Shreddies
- Rice Chex
- Pretzel Sticks
- 2 cps salted peanuts (or mixed nuts if you’re fancy)
for the seasoning:
- 1 cp salted butter
- 2 tbsp seasoning salt
- 2 tbsp Worcestershire
- 1 tbsp garlic powder
- To taste, add paprika, cayenne, dried savory, smoked salt, the other weird salts, etc. (I usually throw in a tablespoon of dried mixed green herbs.)
DIRECTIONS
Mom's recipe specified “ein großer Bräter voll”--I use a 15 or 18” roasting pan
Combine your cereals, pretzels, and nuts in equal parts.
Preheat oven to 250 F
In a small saucepan, melt your butter and mix in your spices and Worcestershire sauce. Add at least another tablespoon of flavouring from your optional ingredients or throw in an extra dose of the basics. If you sample this, it will be very salty. That's ok.
Drizzle ¾ of the butter mix over the cereal mix, stirring to distribute evenly. (Reserve the rest.) Put the roasting pan in the oven.
Check your mix every 30-45 mins, adding reserved butter, and turning thoroughly. It’s important to taste as you go. I almost always add more salt during this toasting process.
Do this for 2 ½ to 3 hours. Once finished, allow to cool thoroughly before storing in jars or tins.
Congratulations! You now have something to put in that empty spot between the fondue and the party cheese ball. (Haha, just kidding. You’re not sharing that cheese ball.)




As a child my mother made "nuts and bolts", so this brings back good memories from long ago. She put a good but of Worcestershire sauce on the Chex cereals in it. It was awesome. Nom Nom Nom!
Haha, yeah. I have a couple of people (esp one uncle and my brother) whose eyes light up when they see this stuff. It's pure nostalgia. Every year I'm tempted to fancy it up and try new flavours (like curry or bacon) and then I remember that look and think, nah, better not.