101 in 1001 #57: Make homemade pasta!

Shortly after I moved out here, Dave and I binge-watched "Master of None," which I had never seen and which he proclaimed one of the best modern shows he'd seen. I adored it unequivocally - not in the least for the second season's first few episodes, set in stunning Italy as lead character Dev (a lovably hapless-in-love Aziz Ansari) learns to make homemade pasta. 

The show, coupled with the fact that Dave is the child of an Italian family and had made pasta from practically infancy, made me urgently want to check this item off my list. When I came back from Thanksgiving to find a superabundance of potatoes in our kitchen, Dave's suggestion that they become gnocchi couldn't have seemed more timely. 

We had noble goals of spending Dave's Friday night on call cooking, which went rapidly off the rails when he had to go in to the hospital. I prepared to press pause on the whole enterprise, and cozied up with a glass of champagne and some sportsball on television to wait him out. Around 9:30, however, he texted me that he was unlikely to make it home at a decent hour...and that I was on my own to make gnocchi. 

I panicked, a little bit, as one does when confronted with the news that she has to tackle pasta solo for the first time ever. And then I went to town. 

I had a blast churning the potatoes through my new food mill, purchased at Williams-Sonoma based on Dave's instructions. Aside: I'm dangerously obsessed with Williams-Sonoma lately, especially as I've been cooking so much more (and enjoying it so much more). Every time I go in there I want to spend obscene gobs of money on all the gorgeous cookware and gadgety things. GROWN-UP PROBLEMS. 

The situation went downhill with alarming speed when, having followed Dave's instructions to a T, I was left with excessively sticky dough. In hindsight, the common-sense thing to do would have been to add flour...but I was convinced that Dave knew what he was doing and that I was being an idiot by thinking this was wrong. So I blithely continued to "make gnocchi..."

And you would think that I would have at some point realized how awful things were going to turn out when the dough was near-impossible to manipulate. The key is to roll it out into long snakes and cut the dough into little tiny pillows...Dave's words, not mine. My snakes wouldn't roll, they just kind of gummed up our counter, and when I cut them they sort of...puddled. I don't have a better verb for what they did, but trust me - it wasn't pretty. 

I tried to cook them anyway - following Dave's instructions to wait until they floated and then pull them out - and this was the end result: 

I don't even know what you would call these. Sad mashed-potato nuggets? I was simultaneously so frustrated and amused that I couldn't stop laughing - I don't think I've ever been so appalled by something I "created" in the kitchen before, and that's really saying something. 

I scrapped the dough/mush/goo, set our (amazing) homemade vodka sauce aside, cleaned up the war zone that was the kitchen, and boiled Dave some fettuccine noodles for dinner when he finally made it home around 11pm. Though he was on call again the following night, we tried again...this time, SO much more successfully! 

Largely because Dave took charge of the dough and taught me what it's actually supposed to look and feel like: 

How much better do those look? The recipe is legit just a whole bag of potatoes, put through a ricer or food mill...plus three egg yolks, a pinch of salt and pepper, and flour to the point where it forms ^that^ kind of dough. It couldn't be easier - but so much of it is dependent on texture and feel that I was just screwed from the start. 

Dave also appreciated the importance of letting me taste-test all the way along the way - and had made another giant double batch of vodka sauce while I rolled and cut fifty million gnocchi. He cooked a few of them up for me and threw them in sauce/topped them with basil while I cut...and I almost immediately started dreaming of moving to Italy and just making/eating pasta full-time, "Master of None" style. 

UM HI. How delicious do those look?! 

So there you have it - homemade gnocchi by Chef Dave with yours truly alongside for sous chef comic relief. We have an overabundance of them hanging out in our freezer now - can't wait to spend the next couple months experimenting with sauces, or to keep learning the homemade pasta world! 

For more 101 in 1001, head here...it's probably about time to start thinking about tackling macarons, hmm?! 

101 in 1001: a catch-up

Guys, holy crap, I'm a lame delinquent loser who apparently never writes anymore and definitely never has any fun. (One of those statements is true.) I've been slowly but steadily checking off my 101 in 1001 list over the course of the last several months, and it's been a grab bag of incredibly fun, amusing, and just plain productive experiences to have! 

Up first: #84, See a comedy or improv show! 

Dave, Laura and I are all obsessed with Iliza Shlesinger, who won "Last Comic Standing" in 2008 and has produced several Netflix specials since then. We marathoned through all three of them within the first couple months we lived together, and some of her jokes have become so integrated into our day-to-day interactions with each other that I find myself checking in with outsiders, asking "Wait - have you seen Iliza?" Inevitably, the answer is no, which makes me think I must have really un-funny friends (or, more likely, friends who DON'T just watch Netflix comedy specials for fun on a random Tuesday...). 

Dave found out she was coming to San Francisco in December, and once we discovered that those tickets were sold out, I immediately jumped on her shows in San Jose at the end of September. We grabbed dinner in downtown San Jose before the show, took a quick tequila shot, and headed over. 

Friends, it was such a win of an evening. I honest-to-goodness laughed so hard I actually cried at a few of the sketches, which are incredibly relatable and universal. Her skewering of Millennial female stereotypes, the all-encompassing physicality of her performances, and her voices and - best of all - random noises ...it all set the stage for an evening of complete giddiness. I can't wait for her book to come out (next week, already pre-ordered, nbd) and for her next Netflix special.

Also on the list: #42, Subscribe to a podcast. I've written in the past about my love for Minnesota girl Nora McInerny Purmort, who lost her husband to a brain tumor and has turned tragedy into empowering triumph with her Still Kickin' foundation, Hot Young Widows Club outreach group, and gorgeous memoir, "It's Okay To Laugh (Crying Is Cool Too)." She's taken her empire-building one step further in her American Public Media podcast "Terrible, Thanks For Asking," which delves into how the human spirit experiences, works through and survives tragedy. I, for one, am totally riveted. 

The honesty behind the podcasts,and the way they don't gloss over and shy away from the negatives, is really refreshing in this world where everyone is always "so busy!" "so happy!" "so grateful!" "so #blessed!" - I derive a lot of value from the gorgeous storytelling and the reminder that there are people in the world who are fighting terrible battles with grit and humor and frustration and anger every day. Check it out if you need a reality check - and let me know if you do!

An item I've had on my housekeeping list for way too long: #47, Join the bone marrow registry. This one couldn't have been easier to check off - I did a quick survey and provided some information on Bethematch.org, and a kit was mailed to my apartment. After a simple, painless cheek swab, I popped the kit in the mail and called it a day. 

This is legitimately one of the easiest ways to do some good in the world that I have ever found. It takes all of twenty seconds to do the actual swabbing, it's free, and there's no guarantee that you'll be called upon to be an actual donor. Even so, though, putting the possibility out there is a great thing to do - get your kit today!!

On the admittedly shallow end of the scale, I derived SO MUCH SATISFACTION from calling "#63: Figure out how to fold fitted sheets" complete. Fitted sheets have long been the bane of my anal-retentive, perfectionist existence - I can't stand floppy, imprecise piles of sheets in my closet, and with space at an all-time premium in my non-walk-in here in Cali, I prioritized this. How'd I do it? I watched this video no less than ten times, cursing and sweating a little bit as I battled with my own sheets, and then - suddenly, miraculously - it clicked. Look at that sweet folded pile, below! Proud of me, and you should be too. 

And wrapping up this round-up, #56: Try to grow an herb garden. When my mom was in town helping me move, we blacked out a little bit in the Palo Alto Anthropologie and Co's gorgeous Terrain outdoor department, and before I knew it, I had dropped like $75 on plants and herbs and gardening kits. OOPS #basicfail. 

We potted cilantro, basil and mint, and parked them on my sunny little windowsill to see what happened. Call me a bad blogger, but below are the only two photos I took after the (messy) potting process: 

So how'd it go? Well, my cilantro flourished, and I used it twice on Taco Nights with the roomies! My basil came in profusely, but was kind of undersized and a little bit bitter...I threw it in pesto to use it all up. As for the mint? Total fail. I never saw even one seed sprout. What a disappointment - I guess all my fantasies of mojitos and juleps were meant to come to naught. Oh well! 

With the holidays approaching, I'm planning on checking off a few more fun items and seeing what I can get done...check out the rest of my 101 in 1001 here! 

101 in 1001: The Road Trip Edition

One of the hardest aspects of planning and executing my recent cross-country move was trying to sort out the logistics of actually, you know, getting there. Fortunately, my mom is a complete and utter rockstar, and volunteered to make the drive with me – cementing her status as Better Than Your Mother Since 1989. (If I could insert emojis in a blog post, I’d throw the hair-flip girl in right here.) 33 hours in a car with me? The woman is a saint. She deserves a medal. Or a spa day. Or a medal AND a spa day.

When we started to plan the route we wanted to take, a few points of interest made the list: first, neither of us had ever been to Mount Rushmore, and it was right on the way if we took a route through South Dakota. We also decided we wanted to detour a bit to see Yellowstone National Park. Serendipitously, both Rushmore (#6) and a national park (#15) were on my second 101 in 1001 list, which just sweetened the deal.

Our initial goal was to make the 33-hour drive in about 4 days, thinking we would take our time, explore, stop to smell the roses, et cetera. With that in mind, we mapped out the route below:

Heading west this way automatically checked off my 101 in 1001 #2, “Visit a new state.” In fact, every state we’d pass through (South Dakota, Wyoming, Idaho, and Nevada!) on the way would be new to me! With grand visions of playing tourist in our own country, we loaded up the car the night before we left and set our alarms for like…4:40 am (Jonathan was home, and had a craaaaazy-early flight, so we got up with him!). Of course, it’s me, and my best-laid plans never fail to go awry. So in reality, we departed on Monday, June 5 at around 5:30am and were crossing the Bay Bridge by Wednesday, June 7 around 1pm. WOMP.

I can’t think of a more fun way to check off my 101 in 1001 #8, “Take a girls’ trip,” than with my favorite girl in the world: my mama bear. Stories and details below:

I’ll confess to being a bit of a wreck the morning we actually left. Saying goodbye to my dad was a total heartbreaker, and I’m pretty sure I hysterically and uncontrollably cried on and off for the first hour of the trip. Another tear-jerker: seeing the “Welcome to South Dakota” sign and watching the Minnesota sign recede in my rearview mirror.

South Dakota, guys. It’s flat and kind of awful for the vast majority of the drive. When I found myself playing passenger, I got so bored with watching empty fields roll by that I started to play “emoji artist” just to pass the time.

WALL DRUG. Oh my god can we talk about Wall Drug real quick? Every couple miles or so for the entirety of I-90 there is a Wall Drug billboard, and they are all kind of off-the-wall insane and hilarious. Wall Drug has a large dinosaur.

Wall Drug has a large jackalope (a fictional creature that is a cross between a jackrabbit and an antelope, of course). According to the locals, they are “fearsome critters,” but we didn’t seem to have a problem when we started climbing all over this guy.Wall Drug was a great little interlude to break up the trip, as was a quick stop at the Rapid City Panera for lunch. Next stop: Rushmore!

I was not entirely sure what to expect of Mount Rushmore, but I have to say I was really blown away by how well-done the monument and visitors’ center are. Some famous historical locations (coughcough STONEHENGE) have left me feeling underwhelmed after years of seeing photos, but Rushmore is definitely worth seeing in person. The drive there is winding and hilarious – a lot of steep grades and adventurous climbs that kept us laughing incredulously the whole way there.

As for the monument itself…

Couldn’t resist this oh-so-opportune photo of my future home’s flag with the stony visages of the presidents.

The walk up to the monument overlook is lined with the flags of each of the states, and was incredibly picturesque, paved in local stone and full of information. We were racing to beat the incoming thunderstorms, however, so contented ourselves with a quick walk around and a few photo ops, of course.

We also had to snap a photo of George in profile…”it must be nice to have Washington on your side,” as
“Hamilton” so appropriately puts it!

Post-Rushmore, we still had about seven hours of driving ahead of us to reach Cody, Wyoming, our planned stop for the evening. Little did we know how aggressive that plan was…especially after prairie thunderstorms and the crazy-winding roads through Bighorn National Forest slowed us wayyyy down. By our last rest stop of the day, I was seriously debating buying this sexy coyote cap and settling down in rural Wyoming forever just so I wouldn’t have to get back in the car. (Please note: this is the prettiest photo of myself that I have EVER put on the Internet.) We arrived in Cody around 10:45 at night, checked into the Beartooth Inn (you can’t make this shit up), and promptly passed out.

Day Two was our Yellowstone/Grand Teton National Parks morning, and we had a blast – taking almost six hours to cover under 200 miles. I refused to let Mom drive – I was having too much fun with the peaks and curves – and we totally basic bitched out and listened to the “Pocahontas” soundtrack anytime we had enough service to run Spotify…I mean, duh, why wouldn’t you? Favorite photos below:

My sole disappointment is that, despite the numerous roadside warnings to be on the lookout for mama bears with cubs, the Jodester in her Cubs shirt is the only one we spotted. Next time, I guess!

We had ambitiously booked a hotel in Elko, NV on HotelTonight because it was really highly rated and really cheap, but I had a mini-meltdown when we stopped for lunch in Jackson, WY at 2:30 and we realized we still had 7 hours of driving ahead of us. After 16 hours the day before, I was NOT looking forward to another marathon day, especially as we had planned to take it easier. My mom bought us car trip cookies and took over driving, and I chilled out as soon as we hit the road again…

…until I took over and Google Maps suddenly took us way, WAY off the beaten path. There really is no direct route between Jackson and Elko, NV, so we spent about four hours driving through literal no-man’s land. There were no speed limit signs. There were no other cars. There were no lines down the middle of the road. There were tumbleweeds, literally. There were rattlesnakes – literally (ick). There were moments where we honestly thought we were going to die in the wasteland that is southeastern Idaho/northern Nevada. We could not stop laughing - total incredulity, campers. 

And then we got to the Stockmen’s Casino and Ramada Inn, and you could cash your chips in at the same counter where you checked in. And I died laughing in a hysterical, surreal, punch-drunk-from-too-many-hours-on-the-road fit of complete insanity.

The next morning, we woke up and our sole goal was to get to the Bay Area as efficiently as possible. We got gas, washed the car, grabbed coffee, and pounded through Nevada and Northern California, falling in love with Tahoe on the way. I had my first Bay Area driving experience, which probably took years off my life, and before I knew it, we were:

Petting Fiona

Drinking alcohol at the biggest Anthropologie in the country (DEAD. I DIE. I STILL DIE EVERY TIME.) (also, #basicselfie, obviously)

Taking first roommate selfies

It had been a hell of an adventure, but it was over.

Tidbits:

-          If for any reason you ever find yourself in Cody, WY, stop at Cody Coffee Roasters. Utterly charming, amazing people, made-to-order crepes and excellent coffee.

-          Bears do not respond to humans’ requests for them to show themselves, not even if you roll the window down and literally yell “HEY BEARS WHERE ARE YOU?”

-          We saw a baby elk or caribou thing and I about died.

-          If you, like Jodes and me, are into Broadway and have 33 hours in the car to pass, I cannot recommend the “Broadway Musical” approach more highly. We listened to 21 musicals in 33 hours – and it was amazing. Full list:

1.       Waitress

2.       Company

3.       Spring Awakening

4.       The Book of Mormon

5.       Rent

6.       Natasha, Pierre, and the Great Comet of 1812

7.       Hamilton

8.       Aida

9.       Mamma Mia

10.   Pocahontas (not technically a musical, but WHATEVER, haters)

11.   Wicked

12.   Dear Evan Hansen

13.   Les Miserables

14.   The Last Five Years

15.   Cinderella

16.   Chicago

17.   The Phantom of the Opera

18.   In The Heights

19.   Legally Blonde

20.   La La Land (also not technically a musical but GUYZ ALMOST BEST PICTURE OMG)

21.   Hello, Dolly!

-          Finally, if you ever have the opportunity to road trip one-on-one with a parent, I highly encourage it. To be fair, I adore both my parents, and love spending time with them, but I seriously will always treasure the memories of this trip with my mom (and couldn’t be more grateful to her for her patience, forbearance, and support the entire way!).

101 in 1001 #89: Try five new Twin Cities restaurants!

Confession: I am a foodie. 

I mean, duh, anyone who follows me on Instagram or has met me even a handful of times knows that. I eat at Spoon and Stable more than most 28-year-olds eat at Taco Bell. I'm growing more and more adventurous and proficient in the kitchen, but dining out and well has always been my first love. 

I do, however, get in the habit of going to the same few places over and over again. Current faves: Spoon, duh (always and forever, and yes it's so pretentious that I just called it Spoon)...Cafe Lurcat, right across the park from my apartment...Saint Genevieve for champagne and delish snackies...and of course Meritage and the St Paul Grill across the river in St Paul. So I made it a goal to branch out as part of my 101 in 1001, and I've hammered this one out in record time. 

1. Revival St Paul

My coworker AJ and I headed here for a spontaneous lunch outing one day when he was taking a half day. I had the sweet tea to drink, and he had the bourbon sweet tea...I was very jealous that he didn't have to go back to the office :) 

Revival is famous for having the best fried chicken currently available in Minnesota, but also for a damn good burger, so we did what all the cool kids do and got both, to split...plus some cornbread and a side of pimento mac and cheese: 

Verdict: There is no overhyping in the Cities when it comes to Revival. Both the burger and the chicken were high up in the pantheon of MSP GOAT, at least in my book. I left totally satisfied and spent the rest of that afternoon in a finger-licking food coma at my desk, fantasizing about fried things and the crispy, perfect top of that mac and cheese. 

2. Young Joni

Dick and Jodester beat me to Young Joni, the newest offering by Pizzeria Lola's wonder woman Ann Kim (nominated for a James Beard award, woo!). Young Joni, in Northeast just around the corner from Dangerous Man, offers her famous woodfired pizzas, but also expands into Korean-influenced riffs on other favorites. 

We ordered the "La Parisienne" pizza (prosciutto, gruyere, ricotta, brown butter, caramelized onions, and arugula), and it was revelatory. As was the shishito-pepper-laden cauliflower with golden raisins, though we weren't as wild about the Sweet and Spicy Pork Spare Ribs. The cocktail list was craft/artisan-level good, which is rapidly becoming de rigeur around the Cities, but my personal fave: 

The "Church Basement Bar Platter" for dessert. SO MINNESOTAN. Tiny morsels of Brownie, mini chocolate chip cookies, and dark chocolate-coated Special K bars, all served with a tiny carafe of ice-cold milk. Such a novel presentation and exactly what I love about creative dining in the TC. 

3. The Lexington

The Lexington, affectionately known by locals as "the Lex," has a storied history in St. Paul but has been closed for years due to a never-ending renovation and endless disputes with the city. It reopened this February, restored to its former glory, and it's just lovely.

I grabbed a spot in the bar on a frigid late-February day with Dick and Jodester, marveling at the gorgeous wainscoting, beamed ceilings, roaring fire and gorgeous vintage white baby grand piano. 

We got to enjoy the view through rose-colored (and blue, and green, and lavender, and yellow!) glass...the famous stained glass windows are original. 

Dad enjoyed a Vesper, Mom a "Minnesota Collins." 

I hollered back to my London days with the prettiest take on a Pimm's cup...

...and of course a little bubbly, because that's my jam and why not pop bottles on a Tuesday at happy hour? We also enjoyed their fried chicken sliders and garlic parsley fries (seriously such a good snacky dinner).

4. Mercury Dining Room and Rail

We hit up Mercury before my dad and I went to our Whiskey on Ice event, so I was coming out of the dark, terrible throes of the flu (plague). As such, I was not at my dining-out best, and barely touched my food, and skipped a drink altogether (also, duh, we were going to go drink copious amounts of whiskey). That said, the atmosphere is a huge improvement over former tenant Brasserie Zentral...

...and the quarter of the avocado and smoked-tomato relish grilled cheese I choked down was delicious (and made great leftovers once my stomach was back up to actual food)! I really ought to go back and retry this one when I'm feeling less like microwaved death.

5. Bellecour

BELLECOUR! Oh Bellecour. The new restaurant by my favorite person, Gavin Kaysen of Spoon and Stable, resides in the old Blue Point space in charming downtown Wayzata. Just like big sis S&S, it's nearly impossible to score a reservation, but Jodester did on the day the restaurant officially opened, and we headed there last weekend for our inaugural trip.

Much like Spoon, it is immediately apparent just how much thought and intention went into designing the more classic-French Bellecour. It's absolutely lovely, from their enticing pastry window and bakery...

...to the cozy bar, walls of wine, gleaming kitchen, and this mural, which I am utterly obsessed with, in their light-flooded Garden Room (where we dined). The feeling is so different from Spoon, but the same level of attention to detail ensures that the experience, once again, leaves visitors spellbound. 

We started with the most gorgeous Cremant de Loire, a Champagne-adjacent wine region in France, and also enjoyed a fantastic, very mineral Sancerre with our entrees. Adding to the fun of the night: I had made the acquaintance of sommelier Nicolas Giraud at Spoon and Stable on New Year's Eve, when we chatted in French for about 10 minutes about the dinner's wine pairings and his background. He remembered me, and came up to our table launching straight into French, for another quick chat about Bellecour, the wine, and the adventure of running two restaurants with exquisite wine offerings. I was on cloud nine, and it wasn't just the cremant!

On to food! We started with oeufs mimosa, a Belgian endive salad (front), and a fabulously savory salade frisée (right) with quail egg and sherry vinaigrette. All fantastic, and so carefully executed and plated that it took the entire experience to a visually delicious level as well. 

Dad ordered steak frites, with a beautiful filet and fantastic fries. Mom ordered short rib, served with a sauce au poivre and the teensiest mushroom duxelles...fall-off-the-bone tender and so savory. My duck a l'orange, meanwhile, was flawless...and I'm very picky about duck. Just LOOK at that!

We wrapped up with two desserts...a honey-and-cream vacherin and a Paris-Brest interpretation of a profiterole...and a chat with the hostess and Gavin himself, who came over and graciously indulged our gushing for nearly ten minutes. We're total groupies, and I feel no shame...my dad, in particular, is obsessed. A quick shout-out to Gavin - he is truly the warmest, most personable restaurateur I've ever encountered, and his pride in his establishments, staff, service and cuisine is palpable. It makes dining at his places an absolute delight, and completely guarantees I will be a lifelong Kaysen loyalist. 

Can't wait to see what he does next...and what the next big things in the Twin Cities culinary scene will be! 

For more 101 in 1001, head here. And if anyone wants to HH at Bellecour, pound through some fried chicken at Revival, chill at the Lex, or go on new adventures...hit me up, yo!

101 in 1001 #65: Learn calligraphy!

I have a new hobby!!!!! Last night after nearly two months of anticipation, I took my first calligraphy class by Hooked Calligraphy through LAB Minneapolis, and it was an utter dream. 

Rewind: I've always had excellent cursive handwriting, and have always enjoyed that little nerd skill. See holiday to-do list, below, for example: 

I have ALSO, however, always had an absurdly intense desire to learn calligraphy. Fans of EL Konigsburg (one of my favorite children's book authors) may remember "The View From Saturday," a book about a quiz bowl team in which calligraphy plays a major role. No? Just me? Nbd. Throw on top of that the fact that my brilliantly gifted younger sister Em is a graphic designer and has a true artistic gift for lettering in all its forms, and you have one envious sister. See her work below, for example: 

HI RIGHT? So I signed up for the Lab class as soon as I decided to make calligraphy a goal on my 101 in 1001. Last night found me strolling across a drizzly, gray Loring Park (getting chased by a territorial goose in the process) to the Loring Corners building. 

My calligraphy companions and I wound our way through a labyrinthine warehouse/office space until we came to this most Instagrammable of setups for our evening class: 

I'm such an aesthete. Why not take the extra bit of bother to make something beautiful? The prettiness of the event set it up to be a truly fun and lovely evening. Major props to the team at LAB for ensuring the night was off to a gorgeous start! 

Our instructor for the night, the crazy-talented Clair of Hooked Calligraphy, walked us through the intricacies of the calligraphy pen and then threw us right in by telling us to dip our pens in our ink and try writing our names. Needless to say, I was NOT a natural. 

After hilarity ensued all around, and once I'd blotted the ink off my hands, sleeves, and the table (fail), we started with the basics...the downward stroke, the downward/upward combo, and then drawing "O"s. The tip of a calligraphy pen splits based on how much pressure the writer applies, and that drives the thickness of the line...thick lines and pressure for downward strokes, and the most feather-soft drag upward for thin upstrokes. It is HARD. 

That said, I was so pleasantly surprised by how fast I started to get the hang of it. Not saying that I instantly became a Martha Stewart-worthy calligrapher, by any means, but as soon as I got accustomed to the different grip and handfeel of the pen, and the excruciating slowness and attention to detail it required, I started improving. 

While we practiced, Clair passed around amazing samples of her work, on everything from wedding invitations and envelopes to postcards and gift tags. My favorite? She scanned her handwriting into her computer, and used it to make lasercut wood "place cards" for a wedding...they were spectacular and looked so impressive. 

By the end of class, I was utterly hooked...exactly the goal of a company called Hooked Calligraphy, duh! I can already tell that this is going to be a dangerous (and expensive) new hobby. It's perfect though...the careful intention behind the art, and the way it forces the writer to be slow and focused, is exactly what I need to unwind. 

Before you know it, I'll be hitting Emily levels of skill and artistry...HA! 

If you're into any kind of artistic endeavor in the Twin Cities, I can't recommend LAB highly enough...find them here. I'd also suggest you follow them (and Clair!) on Instagram for some major prettiness in your feed on the daily. Otherwise, check out the rest of my second 101 in 1001 here...and come along for the fun next time!