Pot O' Gold Chex Mix

♣St. Patrick's Day is right around the corner and I could not be happier. For me it is not about green beer and getting drunk but about being proud of my heritage. I won't lie, I do look forward to the Shamrock shake (who doesn't?) but what I really love is that everyone, Irish or not, sport green, which by the way is my favorite color. St. Patrick's to me is about as big as Thanksgiving. We always go all out and make the traditional Americanized St. Patrick's Day feast where the star of the show is... you guessed it, Corned Beef and Cabbage. However last year I came up with a recipe that turned the duo into a St. Patrick's Day Shepherd's Pie, which is our new tradition. We even had the cutest "Shamrock" Biscuits to go along with our dinner.





I get newsletters from Betty Crocker and when I got this recipe in my inbox, I grabbed the Mr. and car keys and ran to the grocery store so that I could make this. I was unsuccessful at finding green M&M's so I opted to go for Reece's pieces instead. I should also add that after the mix was cooled and ready to be stored away I fished around the cereal box and pulled out some more marshmallows pieces to add since they do melt in the microwave. I was not overly thrilled that the recipe was all cooked in the microwave and decided to try cooking it in the over, DON'T do it. I wound up burning my entire batch within a matter of a few minutes. One minute I popped it in the over, rubbing my hands together and licking my lips in anticipation of my new snack and before I could even register it, I smelled smoke and went running for the oven. So, I learned my lesson and stuck with the microwave the second time around. With it being made in the microwave not only is it easy but it is fast. So within a half hour (once it cools down and hardens) you have a festive lucky snack, perfect for snack bags to take to work/school. The only downside to making this, half of it made it's way to my stomach before it even fully cooled down. Oh yeah, it was magically delicious! <-- oh yes I did!

• 4 c. Lucky Charms cereal
• 2 c. corn Chex cereal
• 1 1/2 c. mini pretzels
• 1 c. dry roasted peanuts
• 1/2 c. packed brown sugar
• 1/4 c. margarine/butter
• 2 Tbsp. corn syrup
• 1/8 tsp. baking soda
• 1/4 c. green candy coated chocolates (M&M's)
  

1. In large microwavable bowl, place cereals, pretzels and peanuts; set aside.
2. In 2 cup microwavable measuring cup, microwave brown sugar, butter and corn syrup uncovered on High about 2 minutes, stirring after 1 minute, until melted and smooth. Stir in baking soda until dissolved. Pour over cereal mixture, stirring until evenly coated.
3. Microwave uncovered on High 1 to 2 minutes, stirring and scraping bowl every 30 seconds, just until cereal begins to brown. Cool 5 minutes; stir in candies. Spread on waxed paper to cool; break into bite-size pieces. Place in gold foil baking cups if desired. Store in airtight container.

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