Party Time 🎉

snack mix and road trips

New month, new book. July has finally rolled around which means it’s time to feature our second book, Bad Manners Party Grub: For Social Motherfuckers. This book was a fucking whirlwind. After the success of our first book, Eat Like You Give A Fuck, we were approached by our publisher to immediately write another one. The timing couldn’t have been more chaotic. It was December 2014 and we were still promoting the first book with events scheduled through the spring. They wanted the second book to be published in October 2015 which meant that we had to deliver it to the printers by summer. We- of course- said yes because that’s what you do and then I proceeded to have a slow-motion panic attack for the next several years.

At the time there weren’t many books on entertaining while vegan so this seemed like the perfect lane for us. I’d spent most of my twenties inviting people over to dinner or throwing potlucks since I couldn’t afford to dine out. This was familiar territory. The only thing that makes veganism truly difficult is eating with other people so the opportunity to ease that discomfort felt like a worthwhile goal. The book tackles how to handle when someone inevitably asks “Where’s the meat?”. This was the first time that we had overtly acknowledged our brand’s veganism and I think the advice is as sound today as it was 7 years ago.

We never directly talked about being vegan in our first book or on our website, so this was a rare break in protocol. This wasn’t out of shame but rather to keep people’s defenses down. Veganism has a lot of baggage in the public imagination, especially back in 2014. Throughout our careers, we’ve tried to focus on the things that make us all similar, like a love for damn good food, instead of focusing on the differences. Just the word “vegan” conjures a lot of preconceived notions of rules, austerity, and a general inability to have fun. Why the fuck would anyone want to buy a book or cook food like that? People love being invited to try new shit as long as you aren’t asking them to disavow their old ways or calling them names for holding different beliefs. That never works. But everyone loves being asked to join a party already in progress, to taste something delicious, to pass the appetizers so more people can try a bite. The fact that they can feel good about their dietary choices later was just a bonus.

timeless art by Nick Hensley

Against all odds and despite the full body rash I developed from stress, we got the book off to the printers on time. We shot 90% of the food photos in Party Grub in a single week. I was in the kitchen with my buddy Nick Smith cooking our fucking faces off while Matt and Haley Christopher staged the shots. We’d huddle together around a laptop deciding which noodles to move, if the lighting was too harsh, or if a dish needed more herbs to make it pop. We were all sweaty and exhausted but damn proud of what we pulled off. I get tired just thinking about it. The memories swirl and blend together if I try to pull one moment out in too much detail. Everything was happening all at once.  Party Grub was written on a bender, a wild work bender, but a bender nonetheless. Just as it should have been.

Over in the Sunday Recipe Club, we’re talking all about summer foods and a big part of that is travel. This week I’m sharing another airplane approved recipe for Sesame Summer Rolls with Tahini which are great for all those long flights where they simply refuse to feed people now.

But if you’re taking a road trip, you’ve got to have a bag of our Chex-ish Mix right from the pages of Party Grub. It’s a classic for a reason. So turn up the music, roll down the windows, and chomp to the beat as you head down the highway. We’ve got the snacks covered. You’re in charge of directions.

CHEX-ISH MIX

Makes 10 cups, enough for 6-8 people or 2 tween girls at a sleepover

8 cups of square, waffle cut cereal like Chex*

¾ cup pretzel sticks or circles

¾ cup mixed nuts

½ puffed cereal

Seasoning mix:

1 tablespoon paprika

1 teaspoon onion powder

1 teaspoon garlic powder

½ teaspoon chili powder

1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper**

1/8 teaspoon black pepper

1 tablespoon soy sauce or Bragg Liquid Aminos

1 tablespoon sherry vinegar

¼ cup olive oil

Warm the oven to 250 degrees and pull out 2 rimmed baking sheets and set that shit aside.

Grab a big ass bowl and dump in the cereal, pretzels, and nuts. In a small glass mix together the paprika, onion powder, garlic powder, chili powder, cayenne and black pepper. Whisk in the soy sauce and sherry vinegar so you get a kinda paste. Whisk in the olive oil and keep mixing until everything looks stirred up.

Pour the seasoning mix all over the big bowl of cereal and keep mixing till everything looks coated. Pour it out into a single layer on the baking sheets and bake for 1 hour, stirring it up every 15 minutes so it gets evenly toasted.

Serve right away or let it cool to room temp and store for your next snack attack. It’ll keep for about 2 weeks but you’re gonna binge eat all of it long before then. Been there. No judgment.

* You can do half rice chex, half corn, some wheat, whateverthefuck you like or is on sale.

** Optional but goddamn delicious if you like a lil heat, go up to ¼ teaspoon for delicious results.

Party Tip: make this mix your own. Sub in bagel chips for the nuts, add more pretzel, whatever the fuck you like. Just keep the dry mix to about 10 cups so everything gets enough seasoning.

Chexish Mix

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