… but you can’t take the love of down home trailer park cuisine from the girl.
Seriously though, I think so-called ‘Trailer Park Cuisine’ has gotten a bad rap. In my mind, it’s comfort food. The type of food that you know is really bad for you (from a cellular standpoint) but is soooo damn good for you (from a soul standpoint.)
Admittedly, I did spend my formative years living in a trailer (though my mom said because it didn’t have wheels it wasn’t really a trailer. Not really the place to split hairs. It was a beautiful yellow double-wide.) Some of my best food memories come from there – crunchy-topped cheesy mac n cheese, spinach pie, buttery noodles, anything shake n’bake, english muffin pizzas). I also have memories of eating lots of Spam – but I choose not to revisit that foodie history.
So my dear friend Shelby’s dinner party with a Trailer emphasis coupled with wine sounded like a delightful way to spend a Saturday.
Core to the night was the random stash from the Accidental Wine club shipment. If you enjoy a bit of surprise with your wine order – check it out.
Which led to a friendly debate over the best wine pairing for Cheeto Puffs, Cheese Balls and the oh-so-important Pork Rinds (our lovely appetizers). A nice crisp white – Pinot Grigio? Fume Blanc? – seemed to be the most popular suggestion. Though PBR also paired nicely.
Sneak peak of dessert – the plan was to deep fry those Twinkies & DingDongs but they were devoured sans (additional) oil.
Putting aside the entertaining accoutrements – the real star of the meal was the Gorilla Mac n Cheese made by our hosts The Birches. I consider myself a cheesy mac connoisseur. If it’s on a menu anywhere and it claims to be fantastic I’m going to try it. The mac made by Como’s in Pendleton, OR is still my favorite. But this Gorilla recipe out of More Diners, Drive-ins and Dives is fantastic. It has 12 CUPS OF CHEESE in it. Oh, and it’s topped with pulverized goldfish crackers. ‘Nuff said.
Continuing on my Year of Meat journey – I tackled my first pulled pork recipe as my contribution to the meal. Sweet and savory deliciousness out of the crockpot, courtesy a Williams Sonoma recipe. If you’ve never served up pulled pork at a potluck or tailgate - I highly recommend this version for a first attempt.