New Jersey or Bust!
Episode 45: I took notes so you didn’t have to….today we are taking a trip to the Garden State with Cherly Mucha! So pack your bags and let’s get into this!
New Jersey, Jersey, NJ, The Garden State, That state from the Sopranos…whatever you want to call it. Jersey has a special place in my heart. Many of my closest friends I have had as an adult have come from New Jersey. I have spent so many great nights at shows, visiting friends, drinking one too many cocktails and waking up the next day and fixing that hang over the only way you should in NJ…a Taylor Ham, Egg and Cheese on whatever kind of carb you love. Honestly, I have a massive soft spot in my heart for this state so I thought it would be perfect place to do a food adventure because there are some foods that are so uniquely Jersey it deserves to be talked about.
Our tour guide is a friend who I have recently met through a few friends and here we are! Cheryl is a CPA and entrepreneur. She has a great company called CFO Your Way and also happens to have her own podcast, Pathways to Profitability, which I will be on in an upcoming episode so stay tuned for that!
So you’re about to road trip through New Jersey and want to know what are your must eats! Alright, we got you!
Taylor Ham, Egg and Cheese on a hard roll, everything bagel. I always do Salt, Pepper and Ketchup on mine but you do you! And now that I know you can put a hash brown on it, thanks to Cheryl I am all over that! You can get this ANYWHERE in NJ where they have breakfast sandwiches. Diners, coffee shops, bagel shops, ANY WHERE. It’s best enjoyed after a night of hanging out with your closest friends, laughing too much and maybe having one or two extra cocktails the night before. It’s everything you could ever want in the morning!
Whirly Bird, yep you read that right….a whirly bird, well…the best way I can describe it is that you take Taylor ham and kind of slice it sort of. Pan fry the stripes and get it really crispy and place American cheese on top of it all so it gets all melty and gooey and put it on a hard roll (aka a kaiser roll)
Tomato Pie in Trenton, it’s kind a pizza but way more sauce than cheese and here’s the top 10 list in Trenton. Hit all of them and do a tomato pie crawl!
Chicken Savory from the Belmont Tavern, just go…try it!
Fat Sandwich, Ok picture your sub roll…now think of every fried thing you could possibly eat….now put it in the sub roll and add some kind of sauce. BBQ, Pizza Sauce, Ranch, Hot Sauce, Brown Gravy…whatever. Yep, there you have it.
Disco Fries, similar to poutine but different. Go into any diner at 3am after maybe a drink or two that night and you want to order some disco fries! They will not disappoint
Rippers at Rutts Hut in Clifton NJ, ok wait for it….deep….fried…hot dog!
Going to the Hot Grill in Clifton and getting “one all the way”
Hanging out at the Shore aka the Beach in New Jersey….well you have to hit a few of the places below!
Kohrs Ice Cream, the orange twist!
Shrivers Salt Water Taffy, yes you can get it online but also go…and get it EXTRA fresh from the store plus you can pick out your own mix which is super exciting!
Grab a waffle and ice cream on the boardwalk!
Wanna make a few recipes from New Jersey….
Roasted Tomato Soup (Jersey has INCREDIBLE tomatoes)
Lasagna Pinwheels from Don Angie’s (not in NJ but close enough by)!
Cheryl was kind of enough to send her a favorite summer sauce recipe!
Cold Fresh Tomato Sauce
6 Medium ripe tomatoes
10 Fresh basil leaves
¼ c lemon juice
3 Tbsp olive oil
2 Tbsp chopped parsley
2 cloves garlic
1 tsp salt
½ tsp pepper
1 lb spaghetti
2 Tbsp butter
Bring small pot of water to a boil. Dip tomatoes into boiling water for approximately 15 seconds or until skin cracks. Peel & chop tomatoes. Put tomatoes in a strainer over a bowl and let drain for about 1 hour.
In the meantime, boil water and cook pasta.
Combine drained tomatoes, parsley, basil, lemon juice, oil, garlic, salt & pepper in a large bowl. Reserve.
Add butter to cooked, drained pasta.
Toss sauce with pasta.
Enjoy with a loaf of fresh, crispy bread!
Now go forth and cook/eat some amazing food!!
Beth Fuller is a Boston based Food, Product and Lifestyle Photographer. One of the best ways to support the podcast and Beth is to write a review wherever you listen, like the podcast on your favorite platform and please keep Beth in mind for any photography projects as a gal has got to pay her bills!
If you have a question and want it to be featured on the podcast please email either the question or a voice memo to letsgoonafoodadventure@gmail.com. Are you on instagram? Tag me in your food adventures, @letsgoonafoodadventure. Do you want to work together with food and product photography, drop me a line here!
xoxo
Beth
