Leftover cereal

So last week, I made Chex mix for the column. The problem with that is I had to buy two different Chex cereals that we don’t eat as just cereal and I don’t need that much Chex mix in my life. So I thought this week, I would use up that cereal in new recipes. Well, it didn’t quite use it all up, but I used a lot more of it.

Chex is a cereal made by General Mills today. It was originally branded as Shredded Ralston and hit the shelves as early as 1936 produced by Ralston Purina, (yes, Chex was created by the same company as produced pet foods) but looked more like Shredded Mini Wheats do today without the icing. In addition to being recommended as a breakfast cereal, it was also suggested as soup croutons, a snack with melted butter, and as the heart of a homemade candy flavored with honey and lemon, according to an advertisement in the Sioux City Journal from 1942. Rice Chex was introduced in 1950 with the waffle design we all associate with Chex. Shredded Ralston officially became Wheat Chex in 1951, but the design didn’t become the waffle square until after Corn Chex was introduced in 1959. Ralston Purina eventually became Ral Corp and sold Chex to General Mills in 1966.

Today, the most common uses for Chex cereal, other than eating it as a cereal, is Chex mix or puppy chow. Chex mix is a baked snack often mixed with nuts, pretzels, and crackers, and then baked again with butter and various other spices or sauces to add flavor. Puppy chow is a sweeter version of a snack. Puppy chow involves melting chocolate and coating with powdered sugar, but often has variations like peanut butter, cookie pieces, or like this week’s recipe just some extra flavor.

Fun Facts: While General Mills produces Chex cereal in the United States, Kellogg’s has the patent in South Korea and Singapore.

Other Chex flavors have been offered, but most have been discontinued. Some of these flavors include Super Sugar Chex, Strawberry, Double Chex, Honey Graham Chex, Chocolate Chex, Vanilla Chex, Cinnamon Chex, and Green Onion Chex (South Korea only because – gross).

While Chex was often seen in the TV and radio show Space Patrol in the early 50’s, they also had a first person shooter video game from 1996 called Chex Quest created featuring this cereal as waffle shaped heroes in which the player takes on the role of a Chex Warrior clad in Chex Armor.

In 2005, Chex became the first cereal to put a doctor on the box.

This week’s recipes are super easy and, other than the pie crust, have no baking required. The recipes took little time to prepare, but some did require cooling time afterward so be prepared for that. Any non-flavored Chex will work for these recipes. I used Corn or Rice Chex for these recipes. Make your grocery list and pick up what ingredients you need. This week, I needed very little of anything. Then, meet me in the kitchen for recipes using this waffled cereal!