"Traveling" Through the 50 States Dinners ~ Pennsylvania & New Jersey

In my blogging absence, we have been keeping up on our "travels" through the 50 states. We have tasted many delicious recipes from several different regions of the US.  Some have been deemed "oh so yummy!", while others have had the kids taking their requisite "must try" bites and then thanking me for making dinner but asking for a sandwich instead.  :)

I'm not going to bombard you with all the meals we have done at once, because that may just put you into a food coma equivalent to Thanksgiving Day.  So I will start off with a few at a time just to give you a "taste" of what we've been experiencing.

Pennsylvania was our second stop (after Missouri).  Not a lot of research was required to find a signature main dish for this state, the Philly Cheese Steak Sandwich (recipe from mr.food.com), with a side of Soft Pretzel Bites (recipe from handletheheat.com).  I had made these yummy little nuggets for a trivia night snack a while back.  After learning that soft pretzels are apparently a popular snack in Pennsylvania, I decided that they would go perfectly with this meal.  I will warn you, these are a little labor intensive as the dough is made from scratch.  But totally worth it!  

For dessert, we had these delicious cheesecake bars from Hershey heaven!  They were absolutely divine!!  I have searched high & low for the proper name and recipe to give credit where credit is due.  But unfortunately, the recipe seems to have not only to have been devoured by us but by the Internet as well.  :(  

Honey continues to quiz us on fun facts about each state.  I have decided that we may have to invest in buzzers like those on a game show as we continue this journey, because the shouting out of answers can get a little out of control.  Peaceful dinners ... what?!?

In addition to it's capital (Harrisburg), State Bird (Ruffed Grouse), and State Flower (Mountain Laurel), we learned that it was the 2nd state to be admitted into the Union. Pennsylvania is the only original colony not bordered by the Atlantic Ocean.  We also talked about the Liberty Bell, Betsy Ross and the Declaration of Independence.  I am amazed & delighted at how interested the kids are in this adventure!

Our most recent State Dinner was New Jersey.  After learning what the menu consisted of, Honey determined that Father's Day would be the perfect day to test out this one.  :)  We dined on Baked Italian Sub Sandwiches (recipe from food.com) with a side of Jersey Disco Fries.  These are simply steak fries smothered in cheese sauce and gravy.  Oh boy!  This was by far the most well received meal to date!  

Our dessert was New Jersey Crumb Cake (recipe from comfycook.com).  There are no words for this one, I will let the picture do the talking.  

I would definitely make this again, but maybe add a scoop of vanilla ice cream on the side.  :)

The usual state facts were quizzed and discussed, but there was one bit of knowledge that had us all a little dumbfounded.  Even though New Jersey ranks 47th among the states in area, it has the highest population density in the country.  The U.S. average is 87.4 people per square mile.  In New Jersey, the average is 1,195.5 people.  WOW!   L's Dino-loving heart was also excited to learn that the first dinosaur skeleton (Hadrosaurus) found in North America was in Haddonfield, NJ in 1858.  Our future paleontologist was ready to jump in the car right then and there!

Where do you think we should visit next?  :)