My beau had a tendency to pick up a box of cheerios when they are on sale in this bachelor years. Being on auto-pilot he didn’t notice that the collection had become quite large (like over a dozen boxes) in the kitchen. When he moved in with me we had to make a plan aha there was just So. Many. Boxes.
Any that weren’t expired were donated to the food bank of course but that still left a few with us so I decided it was time to up my bits and bites game.
One thing I’ve learned through testing out a few recipes and ideas is the actual bits you choose (like pretzels, crackers and of course… Cheerios) can be really flexible but that brine is what makes it.
Below is the Bits and Bites Recipe I’ve come to enjoy and sticking with. Have fun with your mixture and the salty brine will make it pop.
8 Cups of Crispix or Shreddies
8 Cups of Cheerios
4 Cups of pretzels
2 cups (or 1 box) of something cheesy like goldfish or cheese nips
THE BRINE:
2 Cups (or 1LB) of Butter, melted
1/3 Cup Worcestershire Sauce
A squirt of Siracha Sauce (big squirt if you’re feeling spicy, little squirt of your beau can’t do any spicy)
1 Tbsp Garlic Powder
1 Tbsp Onion Powder
1 Tbsp Salt
1. Preheat oven to 250 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. Mix the dry ingredients together in a large pan (I use a turkey roaster).
3. Combine all the brine ingredients together.
4. Gently pour the brine over your mixture, mixing to ensure all pieces are coated.
5. Bake for 2 hours, checking on it and mixing it every 30 minutes.
6. Let the mixture cool and then store. I recommend some repurposed glass jars personally but a larger tupperware works too.
