Recipe: White Trash

WHITE TRASH:

9 cups of mixed chex cereals
4 handfuls of pretzels
16 oz can of salted nuts (peanuts, cashews or mixed)

Melt 1 stick of butter or margarine. Pour over above mixture-toss to coat. Bake on cookie sheet 45 min-1hr @ 250 degrees, stirring occasionally.Remove from oven, allow to cool.
Melt 16 oz Nestle’s white choc chips. Pour over cereal mix. Add 16 oz of M&M’s, stir to coat. Spread out on waxed paper to cool.

The recipe for White Trash is one that has been used by my Mom, Marcia Seals, for as far back as I can remember. Even she has trouble remembering where she obtained the recipe from originally, only being able to cite “a friend from work a while back” as the source. Although the recipe is nothing extravagant and the ingredients are nothing exotic or traditional, white trash has become an expected part of my holiday season. Usually, the first batch of White Trash is cooked up in the week or two before Christmas Day, which would only add to our excitement as little kids. Not only did we get a sweet treat, but also because my Mom made White Trash, we knew Christmas would be right around the corner. Once we finished the first batch of White Trash, it was usually approaching New Year’s Eve. In the days leading to the New Year, my mom would concoct a second batch of White Trash, which could not be touched until the actual night of a New Year. This is because we would normally have guests over, whether friends of my parents or friends of my siblings and I, to enjoy the night together.

For me, White Trash is a tradition in my family that usually appears on schedule. Now that I am no longer a little boy, it helps to have such a reliable treat to remind of my youth. Whenever my Mom presents the first batch of White Trash, I’m instantly transported back to my boyhood years. This really helps to keep the same spirit and excitement alive for holidays because I have associated the recipe with the Christmas time of year for so long.