在經典的派對混搭上試試這些現(xiàn)代的花樣吧

在經典的派對混搭上試試這些現(xiàn)代的花樣吧

Remember party mix? That random assortment of corn/wheat/rice cereal, nuts, pretzels, Worcestershire sauce, butter and seasoned salt? Perhaps you know it by its more common branded name, Chex Mix, based on the cereal brand that actually "invented" it. Whatever you call it, the crunchy, salty mix knows no boundaries or state lines.

還記得方混合嗎?玉米、小麥、大米、堅果、椒鹽卷餅、伍斯特沙司、黃油和調味鹽的隨機搭配?也許你知道它更常見的品牌名稱Chex Mix，它是根據“發(fā)明”它的麥片品牌命名的。不管你叫它什么，這種脆咸的混合物沒有國界，也沒有州界。

This is one extra guest you won't mind showing up unannounced at your party. (Photo: Pen Waggener [CC by 2.0]/Flickr)

I was first introduced to it by friends from Iowa, which made me think it was a wholesome snack from the heartland of America's Midwest. Turns out I wasn't exactly wrong — the history of Chex cereals begins with the Ruston Purina Company (yes, the same Purina as dog food) in St. Louis, Missouri. Along with pet food, they also produced animal feed (which they called "chow") and food for human consumption.

我第一次接觸到它是來自愛荷華州的朋友，他們讓我覺得這是一種來自美國中西部腹地的有益健康的小吃。事實證明我并沒有完全錯——Chex谷物食品的歷史始于密蘇里州圣路易斯的Ruston Purina公司(是的，和狗糧一樣的Purina)。除了寵物食品，他們還生產動物飼料(他們稱之為“食物”)和供人類食用的食物。

The original Chex cereal debuted in the late 1930s, but there's no recorded version of the party recipe until 1952, when it unceremoniously debuted on both the wheat and rice Chex cereal boxes. The original recipe called for a combination of both kinds of Chex and nuts, tossed in a margarine-Worcestershire salty garlic mix. Today, margarine has fallen out of fashion, so a good butter or quality olive oil will suit you just fine.

最早的Chex麥片出現(xiàn)在20世紀30年代末，但是直到1952年才有關于派對食譜的記載，當時它被隨意地印在小麥和大米Chex麥片盒子上。最初的做法是把這兩種奶酪和堅果混合在一起，加入人造奶油和伍斯特郡鹽蒜味混合物。如今，人造黃油已經不再流行，所以優(yōu)質的黃油或優(yōu)質的橄欖油正適合你。

Recipe riffs

配方“即興表演”

No matter what you throw in your mix, be sure to oven-bake it instead of microwaving it. (Photo: RONORMANJR/Shutterstock)

This is one recipe where you really can't go wrong, as long as you have enough oil or fat to coat the crunchies, and plenty of seasoning to back it up. To me, this makes it an excellent blank canvas for your own regional riffs.

這是一個你絕對不會出錯的食譜，只要你有足夠的油或脂肪覆蓋脆餅，并有足夠的調味料來支持它。對我來說，這使它成為一個優(yōu)秀的空白畫布，為您自己的區(qū)域即興創(chuàng)作。

If you're in the Southwest, add some Hatch green chile powder to spice it up. For the Deep South? Add some candied pecans for extra nuttiness and that salty-sweet combination. Up north, throw in some dried blueberries or cranberries for a burst of fruit flavor. For a truly elevated take, consider this Bon Appétit recipe made with raw sesame seeds, ghee and white miso.

如果你在西南部，加一些綠色的辣椒粉來調味。去南方腹地?加入一些蜜餞山核桃來增加堅果的味道，這樣你就能享受到咸甜結合的美味了。在北方，加入一些干藍莓或小紅莓來增加水果的味道。想要獲得真正的提升，可以考慮一下這道由生芝麻、酥油和白味噌做成的開胃菜。

But if you prefer your snacks more on the sweet side, you're in luck. My same Midwestern friend bestowed upon me the recipe for puppy chow, which is a dangerous peanut butter-chocolate version of the classic mix. Puppy chow certainly won't win any beauty prizes — it got its name for a very good reason. Chunks of cereal covered in melted chocolate and powdered sugar don't make for a Pinterest-worthy dessert.

但如果你更喜歡甜食，那你就幸運了。我的中西部朋友給了我狗糧的配方，這是一種危險的花生醬巧克力混合的經典配方。小狗狗當然不會贏得任何美容獎項——它的名字有一個很好的理由。大塊的麥片，上面覆蓋著融化的巧克力和糖粉，不適合做pinterest值得關注的甜點。

Party staples

派對主食

What it lacks in good looks, it makes up for with salty-sweet crunchy delight. (Photo: Brent Hofacker/Shutterstock)

Unfortunately, none of these snacks could be accused of being healthy. Writes Carolyn Mortell in SeriousEats, "For the uninitiated, puppy chow is, like many Midwestern snack foods, a bunch of easy ingredients tossed in a bowl to create a pretty unhealthy whole that's much greater than the sum of its parts." That being said, if you want healthy party snacks, well, the raw vegetable crudités are on the other table.

不幸的是，這些零食都不健康。卡羅琳•莫蒂爾在《嚴肅的座位》中寫道:“對于外行來說，小狗食品就像許多中西部快餐食品一樣，是一堆簡單的配料被扔進一個碗里，創(chuàng)造出一個相當不健康的整體，其影響遠遠大于各個部分之和。”也就是說，如果你想要健康的派對零食，那么，生蔬菜就在另一張桌子上。

Puppy chow might have even more of a cult following than party mix. Consider Naomi Tomky's ode to the chow in Taste, where she writes, "The puppy chow belt runs through the Dakotas, Iowa, Nebraska, and Wisconsin, fanning out into the surrounding areas. There it is at every potluck, picnic, and holiday party table." Her recipe is simple and time-tested, and honestly, I'm not sure it needs an update. Beyond investing in high-quality chocolate chips, you could try swapping out the peanut butter with an unexpected nut butter, or using coconut sugar instead of powdered sugar.

小狗狗可能比派對混血兒更受追捧。拿娜奧米·湯姆基的《品味中的松雞》來說，她寫道:“松雞帶穿過達科他州、愛荷華州、內布拉斯加州和威斯康星州，向周邊地區(qū)擴散。”它出現(xiàn)在每一次聚餐、野餐和節(jié)日聚會的餐桌上。”她的食譜簡單且久經考驗，老實說，我不確定是否需要更新。除了投資高質量的巧克力片，你還可以嘗試用一種意想不到的堅果醬代替花生醬，或者用椰子糖代替糖粉。

Turns out the name "puppy chow" didn't just come from its dog food-like appearance. Remember that the Purina company also called their animal feed "chow"? They came up with the branding after hearing what World War I soldiers called their rations. But past the name, its Midwestern origins are murky. Writes Tomky, "While plenty of people I spoke to tell stories of learning to make it at home or in Brownies and Girl Scouts, the one place repeated by most Midwesterners — from Wisconsin, the Dakotas, and Nebraska — seems to be middle school home-economics class."

原來“puppy chow”這個名字并不是來源于它像狗糧一樣的外表。還記得Purina公司也稱他們的動物飼料為“chow”嗎?他們是在聽到第一次世界大戰(zhàn)士兵對他們的口糧的叫法后，想出這個品牌的。但除了這個名字，它的中西部起源還很模糊。Tomky寫道，“雖然很多我交談過的人都在家里或者在布朗尼和女童子軍里學習如何成功，但大多數(shù)中西部人——來自威斯康辛州、達科他州和內布拉斯加州——反復提到的一個地方似乎是中學的家庭經濟學課堂。”

No matter where the chow was first created, there is one rule to follow: "Don't eat it too fast because you inhale the powdered sugar, resulting in an awful choking cough." Through many late-night firsthand experiences, I can confirm this is true. And remember, it's not a snack to be sneakily eaten, as the powdered sugar will end up all over your clothes and hands and kitchen. This is one sweet treat that's meant to be shared.

不管松獅狗最初是在哪里出現(xiàn)的，都有一條規(guī)則要遵守:“不要吃得太快，因為你會吸入糖粉，導致嚴重的窒息性咳嗽。”通過許多深夜的第一手經驗，我可以證實這是真的。記住，這不是一種可以偷偷吃的零食，因為糖粉會撒在你的衣服上、手上和廚房里。這是一種應該被分享的甜點。