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What I Ate over Thanksgiving Break as a Jersey Girl

This article is written by a student writer from the Spoon University at Maryland chapter.

When you live out of state, you really don’t venture home much and when you live on campus, your dining hall is probably not that good. Basically, going home is one of the best things ever. Hope you enjoy what I ate over Thanksgiving as a true Jersey girl. 

Tuesday Night- Day 1 

Dinner: Spaghetti with fresh, homemade sauce.

What would a good Italian, New Jersey girl have on her first night home? A nice bowl of spaghetti of course. And if you don’t know how to eat with a fork and spoon, you’re doing it wrong- get a true Italian friend to teach you.

thanksgiving
Nicolette Contella

Wednesday- Day 2

Breakfast- Avocado Toast 

Avocado Toast is one of my favorite things to eat for breakfast! If you get bored with toast, change it up by using Naan bread.

thanksgiving salad vegetable
Brittany Arnett

Lunch- Tuscan Broccoli Soup

thanksgiving
Nicolette Contella

Here’s How to Make it:

Cook Time: 15 minutes 

1. Boil water in a small pot with crushed red pepper flakes, cayenne pepper, garlic powder, and olive oil

2. Bring the mixture to a boil

3. Add broccoli florets and continue to boil (this becomes your soup broth!)

4. Add broken up spaghetti or any other type of soup pasta

5. Cook for the recommended amount of time for the given pasta!

6. Enjoy!

Dinner- Pasta e Fagioli (Pasta & Beans)

My mom seriously makes the best of its kind

Pro Tip: Eat your Pasta e Fagioli with a vinegar pepper. The hot vinegar taste seriously adds to this!

Thursday- Day 3 (Thanksgiving!)

Breakfast- Starbucks Coffee

My Order:

-Iced Venti Coffee

-6 Pumps Carmel Sauce 

-Half & Half 

thanksgiving coffee chocolate
Amelia Hitchens

Thanksgiving Dinner-

Antipastos:

Olives

Gardenia 

Focaccia 

Pasta:

Lasagna

TURKEY (which I actually don’t eat because I am a pescatarian!)

Potato croquettes

Broccoli rabe

& other awesome sautéed veggies   

Friday- Day 4

Breakfast- Avocado Toast, again 

superfoods vegetable avocado
Honorata (Nora) McIntyre

Lunch- Thanksgiving Leftovers! Broccoli rabe sandwiches with focaccia anyone? 

Italian bread olive
Tara Bitran

Dinner- Jersey girls don’t know how to pump gas (actually, yes this is really true), but we do know what a JERSEY PIZZA is when we see it. 

thanksgiving
Nicolette Contella

Saturday- Day 5

Breakfast- Sesame Bagel toasted with avocado 

There’s nothing better than a bagel and a coffee by the beach. My beach is Belmar, NJ, but any beach will do! My favorite bagels are sesame and toasted with either avocado or hummus because I’m a millennial of course.  

thanksgiving
Nicolette Contella

Lunch- Olive Bread & Broccoli rabe

If you have not tried olive bread, please go and try it! It’s seriously amazing! 

Get some amazing olive bread here!

best irish soda bread chicken bread
Alex Frank

Dinner- Simply Southern, Belmar NJ

A must try place located in Belmar, NJ. I had the crab cakes and they were amazing! 

Pictured: Arugula Salad 

Sunday- Day 6

Breakfast: Frank’s Asbury Park

I actually didn’t have a Taylor Ham/ Pork Roll egg & cheese, but I don’t think there is anything more New Jersey then this picture. This place is a total dive, but it’s got some of the best breakfast out there, especially after a night out! 

New Jersey FACT: Our state is divided on what we call this meat? Is it Taylor Ham or Pork Roll? You can find out if someone is from North or South Jersey by this factor!

So there you have it, six days of NJ eats. I hope you found some new places and I gave you some new ideas to try at home! When I go home for Christmas maybe I’ll make a part 2. 

Nicolette Contella is a true Jersey girl at heart! She spends her summers in a small town at the Jersey Shore. Here at University of Maryland she is a Hearing and Speech Science Major!