Five finalist entries in this year's Chex® Party Mix Recipe Contest debut today at www.ChexRecipeContest.com, and fans can choose America's top sensational 15-minute recipe by voting online.
Sponsored by Chex cereals and Katie Lee – entertaining expert and author of the best selling cookbooks The Comfort Table and The Comfort Table: Recipes for Everyday Occasions – the contest pairs great homemade snacking with a great cause. Lee and Chex will kick things off by making an initial $25,000 donation to Feeding America; and for every daily online vote submitted at www.ChexRecipeContest.com through December 15, 2010, Chex will make an additional $2.00 donation to Feeding America to help fight hunger – up to $25,000 with a guaranteed minimum donation of $5,000.
The call for recipe entries this summer resulted in over a thousand creative ways to stir up a tasty 15-minute batch of homemade Chex Party Mix in the microwave. These five finalists and their respective recipes scored highest in taste, visual appeal, creativity and inspiration:
- Backyard BBQ Chex® Mix: a bold, lip-smacking blend reminiscent of backyard summertime fare from Tammy F. of Naperville, IL
- Chex® Cajun Kick: fiery spice and red pepper sauce give this mix its kick from Karen F. of Tulsa, OK
- Chex ® Honey Nut Cherry Crunch: a flavorful gluten-free snack that's sweet and salty from Danielle M. of San Francisco, CA
- Chex ® PB and Chocolate Blast: prepare for take-off when peanut butter and chocolate flavors collide from Eliza E. of Manchester, NH
- Chocolate Coffee Toffee Chex ® Mix: catch a buzz – and satisfy your sweet tooth craving – in one snack mix from Richard S. of Waterford, CT.
"Finalists scored big points for originality and creativity in this year's contest, and the only prediction we can make is that it's going to be a close race," said Liz Abate Mascolo, Chex cereal marketing manager."Now we invite everyone to make the five recipes using the microwave as a handy shortcut, try them, and vote for their favorite."
For decades, savvy home cooks have been using crunchy Chex cereal as the starting point for their family-favorite party mix recipes. The blend of flavors featured in this year's contest showcase the limitless ways consumers prepare irresistible homemade mixes – including a coffeehouse flavor; spicy Cajun and bold barbeque inspired recipes; classic white chocolate and peanut butter decadence; and a sweet and salty, sesame honey gluten-free mix. Chex Party Mix recipe contest finalists received $500, a one-year supply of Chex cereal and Katie Lee's recent book The Comfort Table: Recipes for Everyday Occasions. The grand prize winner will be announced in early 2011 and will receive $5,000 and the Ultimate Katie Lee Party Pack, containing entertaining essentials and goodies to throw fantastic at-home parties. Complete voting rules are available at www.ChexRecipeContest.com.
"Our inventive finalists truly thought outside the cereal box and came up with some tempting flavor combinations that are perfect for get-togethers – from game day fun and family movie night to holiday parties and potlucks," said Lee, Chex spokeswoman and board member for Feeding America."Americans can cast a daily vote for their favorite recipe and their efforts will result in a donation to Feeding America – what a delicious way to extend an in-kind gesture this holiday season."
General Mills has had a partnership with Feeding America for more than 30 years, and in the last decade the company has contributed more than $170 million in food donations to the organization. As the nation's leading domestic hunger-relief charity, Feeding America supplies food to more than 37 million Americans each year, including 14 million children and 3 million seniors. Serving the entire United States, more than 200 member food banks support 61,000 agencies that address hunger in all of its forms.
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About Feeding America
Feeding America® is the largest hunger-relief organization in the United States. Through a network of more than 200 food banks, 21 statewide food bank associations, and over 60,000 partner agencies, food pantries and meal programs, we helped provide 5.3 billion meals to tens of millions of people in need last year. Feeding America also supports programs that prevent food waste and improve food security among the people we serve; brings attention to the social and systemic barriers that contribute to food insecurity in our nation; and advocates for legislation that protects people from going hungry. Visit www.feedingamerica.org, find us on Facebook or follow us on X.com.
Chex
The Original Chex Party Mix has been a tradition since 1955, when the wife of a Ralston Purina executive brought the treat to a holiday gathering. It has been a staple snack ever since. There are more than 100 unique Chex Party Mix recipes available on the Chex website at www.ChexPartyMix.com. Chex Party Mix can be made with all varieties of Chex cereal, including Rice Chex, Corn Chex, Wheat Chex, Honey Nut Chex, Chocolate Chex, Cinnamon Chex and Multi-Bran Chex. Five of the Chex cereals are gluten-free, and consumers should look for the words"Gluten-Free" near the ingredient declaration on the package side panel.
About General Mills
One of the world's leading food companies, General Mills operates in more than 100 countries and markets more than 100 consumer brands, including Cheerios, Yoplait , Nature Valley, Betty Crocker, Pillsbury, Green Giant, Old El Paso, Progresso, H�agen-Dazs, Cascadian Farm, Muir Glen, and more. Headquartered in Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA, General Mills had fiscal 2010 global net sales of US$16 billion, including the company's $1.2 billion proportionate share of joint venture net sales.