Okay, it’s a sign of how smoothly the holiday ultimately went (after a couple of aborted attempts to breach the ice-crusted nightmare that is Ohio) that this is my big gripe, but I just have to get this off my chest.
You can’t make decent Chex Mix in a microwave oven. It’s called carmelization, people. You get it from a conventional oven. Not a microwave. And you aren’t really saving yourself any labor. You still have to stir it periodically. Sure, the Chex Mix is done faster, but it doesn’t taste anywhere near as good.
While I’m ranting about microwaves, which certainly serve their purpose, let me issue another edict. If you’re making anything that requires cooked squash — soup, puree, ravioli filling — bake it in a real oven already. Conventional oven = carmelization and depth of flavor. Microwave oven = hot.
End of culinary diatribe.