Sunday Snackday: Sneak-It-Into-the-Movies Snack Mix

Last Sunday I went to see the Secret World of Arriety in theaters. I don't see a ton of movies in theaters, and I feel like every time I go the ticket price has gone up! If you were to buy a ticket, some popcorn, and a soda you're looking at the least $25. So when we decided to see a Sunday movie, I decided to prepare by making some good movie snacks.

Technically, you aren't supposed to bring outside food into a theater, and if you're too blatant about it, the theater might stop you. Unless you're going to some theater I don't know about, they don't check your bags. I've brought an entire dinner in with me before, I brought a bunch of bottles (not cans) of beer, and I ALWAYS bring my own snacks. I'm going to show you my technique which is partially dependent on having a large bag. However, I've also done the coat over an arm technique.

I made two different snack mixes. The first is fairly traditional Puppy Chow (or Muddy Buddies... I think it's regional). I made the official recipe from the Chex website that you can find here: Muddy Buddies. I used Ghiradelli semi-sweet chips, and I think that makes all the difference.

I also wanted to do something not sweet and I looove Goldfish crackers so I made a spicy seasoned goldfish.

Spicy Goldfish Snack

Ingredients

3 6oz packages of Goldfish Crackers (you can mix varieties if you want)
1/2 oz ranch dressing mix (about half a packet)
1 tsp lemon pepper seasoning
2 tsp chili powder
1 tsp cayenne pepper
1 1/2 tsp dried dill
1 tsp garlic powder
2/3 cup vegetable oil

Preheat oven to 250 degrees. In small bowl or measuring cup, mix together oil and spices. Put the Goldfish in a large bowl. Drizzle with the oil mixture and gently stir until all fish are evenly coated.

Spread on baking sheet and bake for 18 minutes stirring twice. Let cool and store in an airtight container.

These are super delicious--tangy and spicy. If you're worried about the spice level, taste the fish after you mixed them with oil but before you've baked. You can always add more of what's missing. These are super delicious on top of tomato soup.

I wasn't sure if there were three or four people going to see the movie, so I packed snacks for 4. I used quart size ziplock bags and measured a heaping cup of either fish or puppy chow into each bag. This way everyone gets their own bag at the theater and it's easier to put in a purse than a giant tupperware. However, they are not protected, so move any heavy objects to a side pocket.

My bag has perfect end pockets to hold cans of pop, so I packed a couple of those as well.