Trail Mix

Making Trail Mix has been a part of my life for so long, that I can't really remember when I first started making it. No doubt in my late teens when I was always heading off hiking and camping. Sunny and I made more than one trek to Bridal Veil Falls and no doubt trail mix was in our backpacks.
Anyway, I have never used a recipe. Trail mix is free and easy, a little of this and a bit of that. Now there are certain things that MUST go in a trail mix, nuts and raisins. This last trail mix has pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, raisins, dried cranberries, some dried papaya chunks, almonds, brazil nuts, and more. You just add until it looks right. In all fairness, I learned to cook that way, adding and tasting until its right. Not measuring. The family sort of laughs when people ask me for a recipe. I get a very puzzled look and then try to remember what I put in the thing. My grandmother cooked that way, my mother did, my sisters do and now my own daughters do. You just simply know what works together and how it should look and feel and smell.
I have never measured for a white sauce in my life. I have no idea how much of what goes in potato salad, except by look and taste. So many times Melissa will call to tell me she made this great new recipe and I ask what's in it, and she tells me what she put in it and then says, well you add some of this or that until it tastes right and it has the texture of ....
Trail mix is just an easy version of cooking without a recipe. You can't really mess it up.
Just think, nuts and dried fruits, and in the cool weather we add some m&m type candies or chocolate chips to the bag. In summer they just melt and make a mess.
We make a tropical mix, which is cashews, banana chips, coconut flakes, dried papaya chunks and whatever else looks good. We like almonds and walnuts in there too.
In fall time I might make some pumpkin spice almonds and work from there to make an autumn trail mix, raisins, dried apples, dried cranberries, walnuts, pecans that sort of thing.
Emery loves trail mix to snack on at lunch time and we always take it with us hiking. Its a good source of energy, easy to pack and would hold you a couple days if you got lost and that is always something to consider when you take off to the wild blue yonder.
The girls love this munchie mix that I make that has Teddy Graham cookies in it, raisins, honey roasted peanuts and honey nut cheerios. I think Melissa lived on that when at College. Its simply a variation of a trail mix. More snack like than nutrition like.

Start off with the basics, raisins, walnuts, sunflower seeds and from there be creative and add the things your family likes. Take it with you to the park, or of course on the trail !

A bowl of the present trail mix in the house