I have mentioned before that I work in a nursing home. I absolutely love it! One of the best things about my job is being able to visit with the residents and hear the tales of their greatest memories and how things were different "back in the day." I was visiting with one particular man a couple years ago. I don't remember exactly what it was that we were chatting about, but he began to tell me about "goop" and how he just loved the stuff. When I told him that I had never heard of goop, he proceeded to give me the run-down on how to make it (complete with hand motions).
"You mix all your favorite cereals... Chex, Cheerios, whatever you want! You could even add some nuts or pretzels, too. Then melt some butter. LOTS of butter makes it taste better! {*a laugh and a wink*} Mix it all together and then bake it niiice and good. You can eat it right away or after it's cooled, but I'll tell ya, there won't be much leftover."
When I told him I wanted to try it for my brother's graduation party, he was more than happy to repeat the recipe to me again and assured me that if I had any problems, to just call him and he would help me sort it out. I just love residents like him!
I told my
Mom about the recipe and she thought it sounded great. My brothers made
a wiffle ball field on my parents' property over the last few years (it
keeps getting bigger & better with time). We figured a lot of time
would be spent on the field that day. (We were right.) It was perfect
to have these "to go" snacks so the kids could just grab a cupful and go play ball!
I
started googling and searching "goop" and sure enough, there are many
different versions. We created our own and tried it out. It went over
really well and we made it again for the snack table at my sister's
wedding last year. :)
*Note:
many of the recipes for "goop" were to bake it in the crock pot. We
tried that, but it was soft and almost sticky. It was good, but not what
we were hoping for.
We made more of the batches in the oven, and we thought it was way better. It was crunchy and flavorful.
You can certainly make it either way, just depends on what you want for the outcome. :)
Ingredients
1 box rice Chex cereal
1 box corn Chex cereal
2 bags Bugles, original flavor
1 box Cheez-its
1 bag mini pretzel twists
1 c. butter, melted
1/2 c. worcestershire sauce
2 Tbsp. garlic powder
1 1/2 Tbsp. seasoned salt
sugar, to taste (optional)
Directions
Mix the first 5 ingredients in a very large bowl. Set aside.
In a medium glass bowl, melt the butter then stir in remaining ingredients.
Pour evenly over cereal mixture.
Gently stir until "sauce" is evenly distributed.
Spread onto a large baking sheet.
Bake for 30-45 minutes at 350 degrees or until golden and crisp, stirring occasionally.
Serve warm or cooled.
(Be sure to let it cool completely before storing in airtight containers.)
