Kentucky Bourbon Bacon Chex Mix

I hate this Superbowl. I’m a bit of a football junkie and I have pretty strong feelings about certain things.  Like..how I hate the Giants.  Mostly, Eli Manning.  I think he is a spoiled, entitled ass who never takes blame for his mistakes, but has no trouble taking credit for success (like when he threw a terrible pass, but his receiver caught it one handed AGAINST HIS HELMET and won the Superbowl – and Eli was MVP).  My main reason? “However, Manning stated publicly that he would refuse to play for the Chargers if drafted by them.”  Um…you shouldn’t get that choice.  You are NOT your brother.
As for the Patriots…not a huge fan of the team itself, but I definitely have some respect.  The Steelers mostly can’t beat them (especially with the “clock error” in 2005 that gave the Pats and extra 50-something seconds to score and win).  But considering the match up, I’ll be rooting for you, Dead Eyes (that’s Tom Brady)….

Need a Superbowl snack?  I made an awesome Chex Mix last weekend – and I converted it to a gluten-free recipe.  The original recipe for Kentucky Bourbon Bacon Chex Mix can be found here, but my gluten-free option is better, because you can use any add-ins that you already have in your pantry and it has chocolate).

Gluten-Free Kentucky Bourbon Bacon Chex Mix

3 cups of Rice Chex (I just poured from the box)

1 cup Cinnamon Chex (optional)

1 cup pecan halves

1/4 cup pepitas or other nut

1 cup GF sesame sticks or GF pretzels

1/2 cup GF crackers, broken (it was the bottom of the bag) or other salty GF snack

6-8 slices of bacon, cooked crisp and crumbled

1/2 cup or so of M&M;’s

1/2 cup packed brown sugar

1/2 cup butter

1/4 cup light corn syrup

2 tablespoons bourbon

1 teaspoon chipotle chili powder

salt, pepper, and favorite seasoning blend, to taste (original recipe calls for chex mix, so this makes up for the seasoning in that)

Heat oven to 300°F.  Line to 15x10x1 inch pans with foil; spray with cooking spray.  In a large bowl, mix together snack mix, pecans, bacon, and M&M;’s.  

In a saucepan, heat brown sugar, butter, and corn syrup over medium heat, stirring occasionally until bubbly.  Cook 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, and remove from heat.  Cool 2 minutes.  Carefully stir in bourbon, chipotle chili powder, salt, pepper, and seasoning blend.  Pour over snack mix and toss until evenly coated.

Spread snack mixture on pans and bake for 15 minutes, stirring every 5 minutes to caramelize.  Cool completely and break into pieces.