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chefroberto, where is southeast central USA?

Nice stuff! How about Kraft box Mac & "Cheese" with pan-fried Spam bits?

@ChefR0bert - I just noticed that as I read through another post. My unsolicited advice is to ignore it, given how easy it is to miss things like tone and intent when reading words and not having the benefit of facial expression, tone of voice, etc. The murder mystery is more trailer park than farm (my character does psychic readings, apparently!), but ironically enough, my softball team did a white trash bash that went both raunchier and way more 'country'-specific than this one is (to the point where I was glad I couldn't make it, despite how much I

@ChefR0bert - I wouldn't take it so personally. "White Trash" to me is a subculture ... but one that is pretty varied by where you are. I have seen plenty of 'white trash' that didn't involve farm-related culture of pitchforks/overalls/etc. And "these type of people" are everywhere (my personal experience living it was in PA), so I don't know if I would agree that the majority is in one part of the country or another, but I liked your other suggestions for sure. The hostess is providing booze, but I trust that she's on the right path with that :P

Caramelized Cheetos
Dessert Recipes From: Extremely Trashy Recipes

2-cups brown sugar
1-cup butter or margarine
1/4 cup white corn syrup
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
14-1/2 ounce package Cheetos™

Bring the sugar, butter or margarine and syrup to a boil for 5 minutes. Remove from fire. Add baking soda. Stir. Pour over Cheetos in large bowl. Toss and spread on 10×15 buttered pan. Bake at 250 degrees F. for 1 hour, stirring every 15 minutes. Pour out on waxed paper rubbed with additional butter or cooking spray. Quickly separate the Caramelized Cheetos™ pieces and try not to give into temptation!

Love this thread! I would definitely agree with fried bologna ... it's actually edible, but defintiely a little trashy. Velveeta cheese dip would fall into that category as well. and PORK RINDS with buckets of PBR's.

Can I come?

I think a few things are missing from the main meal that makes it imbalanced, at least for me.

- texture. I realize that everything has a texture, including water, but none of the dishes have any snap or crunch
- a little sweetness
- something cool
- color

A leafy salad would help take care of them all if you make something simple like...romaine, roasted red bell peppers, black pepper, and a vinaigrette (or Caesar). Other crunchy stuff to add would be red onions, croutons, apples, or nuts. Cranberry vinaigrette wouldn't be bad depending on what you put in the salad. Or using sliced figs, even mandarin oranges.

Chili mac

A Jello salad mold would do the trick! Or those oyster crackers with ranch seasoning for snakin'.

oh my god I love pumpkin seed oil...too bad it's to rich for my budget...

anyway, if you feel like going with the Mediterranean theme like Madelyn says, I suggest you go with a couple mezze:

fatoush is a great salad that takes almost no time to prepare: pita chips, kalamata olives, and small-diced tomato (cored), cucumber, red onion, mint, lemon, olive oil and labneh. If you can't get labneh, which is a lebanese strained yogurt, greek yogurt is fine.

blanched carrots with a cilantro, mint, cumin and honey vinaigrette.

fried haloumi: browned greek cheese drizzled with olive oil and honey.

tabouleh: 50/50 bulgur and chopped parsley mix with garlic, lemon, salt and a tiny bit of sugar.

...you get the idea. mezze are a great way to make an abundant, refreshing meal. serve them with pita and you're good to go.

@eatup-
Those salads sound delicious, with a nice blend of colors and crunchy textures, as well as flavors.
Similarly, I do a cold, citrus-infused, wild rice salad with toasted sliced almonds, macerated golden raisins, scallions, and fresh mint, in a pumpkin seed oil vinaigrette.

Salad should never be lackluster! In my family, it's usually just as much a centerpiece as any other aspect of the meal.

Two pointers:
Lettuce doesn't have to be the star in a great salad.
Always make your own vinaigrette - it takes about a minute to make, so why not?

Here's an example of an "alternative" autumn salad:

fresh corn with dried cranberries, pumpkins seeds, orange zest, shallots and your choice of mint, sage, or tarragon with a champagne vinaigrette, served over arugula.

or one of my favorites:

endive (served as whole leaves) with sliced pear, crumbled blue cheese and hazelnuts, seasoned and drizzled with olive oil.

The sky's the limit with salad options, and you'll freshen up the menu by offering one or two.