Week 5 at MSU

Monday, June 27

We headed back to the Brody complex on this last Monday in June. Dana and I worked different stations; she was rolling sushi at S2 and I went back to the more familiar Brimstone. We served during the 11-1pm lunch rush. I served about 10 pans of seasoned fries! We also inherited tater tots from breakfast and they flew! My favorite part about Brimstone was setting up the condiments and working along side Joy and Michael, two of the student employees. We had a lot of fun working amid the long line of hungry customers. While I was organizing the condiments, one of the ladies who worked in the prep kitchen introduced herself and invited Dana and me to help them out tomorrow! I was so excited because Dana was telling me how she wanted to be a part of the operation. We were happy to have a plan for the next day.

Tuesday, June 28

We began our day in the prep kitchen. All of the employees had seen us working around Brody before, so it was a very relaxed and comfortable environment. We had a huge checklist that accounted for all meals, breakfast, lunch and dinner, for every day of the week. Our first task was to cut kale and remove the yucky yellow and brown spots. We mixed it with another mixed green and moved onto Swiss chard. This is a food I have never seen before! It had a variation of purples, yellows, and oranges in its stems.

Dana finding a healthy green

Swiss chard

After the greens were stored, we moved onto sorting plump cherry tomatoes and shaving broccoli stems off the heads.

Wednesday, June 29

Dana and I were asked to help with Grandparent's University (GPU) at MSU. It was another conference in East. Betty the health inspector stopped by Akers today and we were familiar with her style of inspecting. She quizzed all the employees on temping meat values and the pH of their sanitation buckets. We covered the entire complex right before the crowd came for lunch. 

Learning about the pH of sanitation water

After the inspection, we were sent across the street to Holmes for a personal pizza demo. This activity allowed the grandparents and grand kids to bond while cooking, one of the many reasons why I love cooking. Some of the pizzas were just cheesy and others were full of toppings. Chef Jason and Chef Kurt ran the show. They explained to the guests that the more you add to your pizza, the longer it will take the dough to cook.

Pizza 101

I enjoyed working with Mike, one of Chef Kurt's interns. It took two people to remove the doughy pizza from the parchment paper to the oven. It would have killed us to drop someone's creation!

Chef Jason teaching how to knead and stretch the dough

Full table of toppings

Bon appetit!

Thursday, June 30 

We were back with the GPU conference in McDonel. Our first activity was fun! We had chopped fruits and veggies on labeled platters. The audience closed their eyes, reached for a food, tasted and guessed what was hidden under the towel. Many of the kids made a face when they grabbed a piece of broccoli. My favorite reaction was when they tried the avocado, "It was slimy!"

Chef Kurt explaining the activity

Handing out the broccoli 

After the taste testing, we split up into smaller groups of 3. Dana and I managed the trail mix station. We had an assortment of nuts, dried fruit, sesame sticks, cheerios and CHOCOLATE! We told the families to fill their bags half way, but we all knew that was not going to be the case when there was chocolate on the table. We explained how trail mix has great nutritional value from the nuts and berries as well as how great it is to take to go. The other 2 stations had pb&j and smoothie creations. I enjoyed talking with the adults. They were very interested in our internship; I was happy to share my excellent experience thus far! 

Trail mixing

Before the crowd departed, we handed out mango popsicles to show that the smoothies they made could be frozen and enjoyed as a fun summer snack. The interns grabbed the chamoy sauce and made a Mexican street food snack. It reminded me of a chili powdered mango! It was so sweet and spicy! 

Chamoy mango popsicle

Once we cleaned up, Mike grabbed this huge spiky fruit called a jack fruit and cut it open like a watermelon. We were pleasantly surprised that it tasted like bubble gum!

Inside of the jack fruit

Mike's creation topped with raspberry powder and Thai basil

We could not stop at one exotic fruit for the day; Mike handed Dana and I each half of a passion fruit and it tasted so good! The juice was the only edible part.

Passion fruit

 We took a break from carving out the jack fruit to stop at the operating food truck! I ordered a burger and Dana got a grilled cheese. The smoked cheddar cheese was from the dairy store to make it even better!

Eat at State Food Truck Burger

Friday, July 1 

Today marked cooking day 1 in the test kitchen! We finally started our commissary project and we had a blast discussing recipes that would do well in a microwave and foods that could hold for several days. We came up with cauliflower rice to match the gluten free and vegan requirements. As a dietitian, we both need to be aware of each ingredient in foods so this project has already taught us so much about individual qualities of food. Most things have a substitutes, but gluten free is tricky. The rest of the day was dedicated to planning and improving the next 5 meals for the project. We have gotten a lot of great advice from our role models in the kitchen. It makes us excited for our careers!

Stage 1 of cauliflower rice