TEX-MEX CHEX

1 1/2 cups each: corn, rice and wheat checkerboard-style cereal
1 cup small, thin, salted pretzel sticks, broken in half
1/2 cup each, shelled: unsalted pistachios, pepitas*
1 tablespoon plus 1 1/2 teaspoons unsalted butter, melted, slightly cooled
1 tablespoon each: Worcestershire sauce, hot sauce
1/4 teaspoon each: ground cumin, dried oregano, garlic powder
1/8 teaspoon salt

Heat oven to 250 degrees F. To ease cleanup, line the baking sheet with parchment paper.

Combine the cereals, pretzels, pistachios and pepitas in a large bowl; set aside.

Stir together the butter, Worcestershire sauce, hot sauce, cumin, oregano, garlic powder and salt in a small bowl; pour over cereal mixture, gently tossing to coat. Spread mixture on a baking sheet in a single layer.

Bake 45 minutes, stirring gently every 15 minutes. Remove sheet from oven; let mixture cool. Store in airtight container at room temperature up to 2 weeks.

*Pepitas, shelled pumpkin seeds, can be found at Trader Joe's, the bulk foods section of Whole Foods Markets and some larger supermarkets.

Yield: 8 cups
Source: White House Chef: Eleven Years, Two Presidents, One Kitchen by Walter Scheib and Andrew Friedman