Week 2 as FSU Bulldogs

Week two at Ferris State flew by extra quickly. This past week I worked more closely with two of the main cooks, Patty and Tiffany, and got to help prepare a few recipes (alfredo sauce, hummus, mashed potatoes, etc).

At the beginning of the week Emily and I teamed up to make roasted red pepper hummus, and although super delicious, it was very very messy! We made a large batch of 23 pounds, and were probably wearing a 1/2 pound of it!

23 pounds of homemade hummus

During one of my shifts I had the opportunity to jump on the Mongo Grill station, a made to order stir fry station that is very popular with locals and students (and one of my favorite dinner go-to's).

I would have to say the highlight of my experience so far was this past Saturday on our day off (although I'm really enjoying working too!). Emily and I ventured out to Traverse City, a cute and populated little city on the northern coast of Michigan about 2 hours north of Big Rapids. We hiked Sleeping Bear Dunes, a natural sand dune that is about 200ft high and has a 60 degree incline. People come from all over Michigan and the midwest to hike the dunes, and when we were there we saw people of all ages ranging from toddlers to grandparents-- all who braved the hike!

Here is the view from ground level....

Us at the top!! (It was quite the climb and required a few "sight seeing moments" aka rest stops...)

Once on top of the main dune, there are numerous trails and mini dunes for people to explore. We climbed a few, which were much steeper (~70 degree angles) but shorter in height.

Being at the top of Sleeping Bear made for one of the most serene and amazing views. The dune overlooks part of Lake Michigan (as seen below). It was so peaceful just sitting up there and looking out onto Michigan-- everything gets quiet and you can really appreciate the beauty of nature. Sleeping Bear was not only one of the most amazing views I've ever seen, but will probably be one of my most favorite memories for years to come.

After our hike we drove over to the local wineries, Black Star Farms and Left Foot Charley's. On our way we passed a roadside Iris Farm and decided to stop. I never even knew there were so many varieties of iris', and the flowers went on for rows and rows.

Black Star Farms and Left Foot Charley were great, the bartenders were very nice and answered all our questions as we tasted (ie what's the difference between Pinot Gris and Pinot Grigio?) We even got to take home our wine glasses from Black Star as a nice souvenir!

Cabernet Franc, a mixture of cabernet and merlot- my new favorite red!

This past week was great, I can't wait to see what this week will bring!