I made a big, fancy dinner this week for my boyfriend’s birthday.  I’ve been really excited to make manicotti for a long time now, so this was a good excuse to make it happen. I guess the final product is technically considered cannelloni, but meh, tomato/toMAto.

This ended up being way easier than I though, although I did have to go to a couple different stores before finding the right noodles (the box says “manicotti-cannelloni”, and the shells are long, hollow tubes).  There are a few steps, so just make sure you have plenty of time to get everything ready.  You can also make it earlier in the day, and refrigerate it until you’re ready to pop it in the oven!

The first step was making the sauce.  I used the general marinara sauce from the Veganomicon.  Here’s what you’ll need:

• 2 teaspoons olive oil
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1  x 28oz can crushed tomatoes
• 1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• several pinches freshly ground pepper

Homemade sauce is so easy!  You just preheat a saucepan over med-low heat, saute the garlic in the oil for about a minute, until it’s fragrant, then add the remaining ingredients, cover, raise the heat a bit, and simmer for about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.  That’s it!  Then set it aside to cool for a bit while you make your manicotti filling.

For the filling, I used the cashew ricotta recipe, also from the Veganomicon, but added some spinach to it so that it turned a delicious mint-chocolate-chip-color.  For this I used:

• 1/2 cup raw cashew pieces
• 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1 lb firm tofu, drained and crumbled
• 1 1/2 teaspoons dried basil
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 1 x 10oz bag spinach
• piping bag/large ziplock bag

First, steam the spinach until it is completely wilted and turns a nice, dark green.  Rinse it with cold water in a strainer, and squeeze the excess water out of it with your hands when it is cool enough to do so.  Set aside.

Then blend the cashews, lemon juice, olive oil, and garlic in a food processor until a thick, creamy paste forms.  Add the crumbled tofu to the food processor until the mixture is thick and well blended.  Then add the basil, salt, and the spinach.  Pulse until mostly blended in.

To assemble, start by ladling about a cup of the marinara sauce in a 9 x 13″ dish, spreading it to evenly cover the bottom.  fill your piping bag or large ziplock bag with all of your ricotta filling, and cut a hole into the bottom corner of the bag, carefully fill each manicotti/cannelloni shell with the ricotta until it overflows out of both sides.  Continue with all of your shells, or until your dish is filled with a full row of shells.  Cover the tops of each shell with the remainder of the marinara sauce.  Cover the dish and put in the refrigerator until you are ready to bake it.  I recommend keeping it in the fridge at least an hour to help the shells soften, since there is no pre-cooking involved.

Cover the dish in tinfoil and bake for an hour at 350.

I served this with some baked asparagus with capers & a vegan ceasar salad.  It definitely looks good with some green sides, and both of these are really simple and delicious!

For the asparagus, simply wash and trim off the tough ends, and place on a lightly oiled cookie sheet. Brush with olive oil, fresh lemon juice, and sprinkle a couple teaspoons of capers on top.  Bake at 400 for 15 minutes.

For the Caesar dressing, I used the recipe from the Veganomicon, and it was the most authentic Caesar-tasting non anchovy-stuffed dressing I’ve had thus far!  You’ll need:

• 1/3 cup slivered or sliced blanched almonds (blanched simply means no skins!)
• 3-4 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed
• 3/4 lb silken tofu, preferably fresh, not vacuum packed)
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 1 heaping teaspoon capers
• 4 teaspoons caper brine
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon mustard powder
• salt

First, pulse the almonds in a food processor until crumbly, then empty into an airtight container you will eventually store the finished dressing in. Blend the garlic, tofu, and oil in the food processor until creamy.  Add the lemon juice, capers, brine, sugar and mustard powder, and pulse until blended. adjust the lemon juice and salt to taste. Pour into the container with the almonds and whisk to combine.  Cover and allow the dressing to chill in the refrigerator for a minimum of 30 minutes, optimally 1-1 1/2 hours.

Then chop of some romaine and toss it together!

This meal was both way easier than I thought and even tastier than I thought it would be.  Enjoy!

Explain the concept behind MPLS Summer of Love. Why did you decide to start this?

Summers in Minneapolis are pretty incredible. The whole season lasts for only a few months, and it seems to turn on the entire city. Social energy comes unchained. There’s a lot happening at once, and we want to contribute to organizing that
energy. We are completely independent. We have no advertisers, so there isn’t any pressure to promote something we don’t dig. Our events are also hand-picked, which allows us to be intentional about what and who we promote.

If you check out the site, you’ll notice a definite vibe flowing out of what we’re into. Summer of Love is a reincarnation of a flower child, of a great American revolutionary lover. Our vision is not only to support culture, but to synthesize counter-culture.

How did you choose which events to include on the calendar?

Currently, we support the following threads: Art Installations, Bike Culture, Body + Holistic Health, Environment, Live Performance, Peace, “RealPolitik”, Sex-Positivity, and Social Renaissance. But we won’t post up just any event.

Every event we sponsor is a kind of political act and we’re defining that in their truest sense: political acts build healthy communities. The current American process, by the way, frequently does the opposite. It’s been hijacked by this absurd, two-party theatrical stunt that actually divides communities, and it’s done incredible damage to how we even think about political engagement.

The Summer of Love calendar tries to reclaim what it means to be political. We believe that attending a block party in support of local artists, or a burlesque performance empowering the feminist ideal of freedom are not only political acts, but actually acts that can achieve more for healthy communities than can be achieved using the current approach. Plus–concerts and burlesque shows are way more fun to go to than phone-banks and registration drives. Our goal is to turn people on.

We see some sort of spark in what we feature; positive vibrations. There’s a common thread between a poetry slam, a bike-maintenance workshop and an anti-war demonstration. Using words to describe this thread precisely can be onerous, but we find that the vibrations from our events speak for themselves. Those vibrations are what we’re about.

Are there any events that you’re particularly excited about?

The Freedom From Pants bike ride on Independence Day. Nothing like wheeling around with a few hundred folks in your skivvies, especially when the city’s chock full of suburbanites. Everybody’s invited. It’s gonna be a good time.

And a shout out to the Anarchist Book Fair in September. Of all the political parties, the Anarchists have the most interesting books.

Is this just a summer calendar? What happens in the fall?

This calendar spans the bookends of May Day + Halloween; both ancient spiritual holidays that mark the the passing of earth from a season of renewal and life in the spring, to a season of harvest and death in the winter. The calendar wraps up as we pass through that second veil. But we have more in the works. We are launching a sister site, an alternative press, on the upcoming solstice and we are still seeking contributors. So keep your browsers peeled for that. A winter counterpart is likely. We’ll see how things go.

What’s your favorite part of summertime in Minneapolis?

Mass bike rides are at the top of the list. So is the beach. Girls in skirts and bikini-tops, and cute topless boys in cut-off shorts are also major highlights. Really, the fragility of summer here just creates a special energy. We don’t take this shit for granted. It’s one of the best places on earth to spend a summer.

Project: SMOOCH: Kilong’s Story (First International Shoot)

Goal: $10,000

Deadline: Thursday, May 31

Why it’s good: Dawn Mikkelson, the director, describes SMOOCH as “a cinematic call for civility.” In other words, it’s not just a documentary. It’s an initiative to encourage dialogue, forgiveness and reconciliation. Inspired by the story of Mary and Oshea, the mother who forgave her son’s killer, the documentary presents stories of people from all socio-economic, political and cultural backgrounds. Although the documentary itself is still in works, Mikkelson says “the trailer alone has already worked on many people’s lives. It has the potential to change lives and it already has.”

The Kickstarter project will fund the shooting of SMOOCH’s first international story. As one of the “four international stories” of the documentary, the story of Kilong Ung will take the crew to Battambang, Cambodia to tell his story of forgiving Khmer Rouge torturers.

Rewards: All donors’ names will be on the IMDB site. The rest of the rewards go up from there. The backers of the project can expect a digital travelogue with photos and thoughts from Kilong’s family, a copy of the film, a private screening with the director and even a chance to attend the filming in Cambodia. Giving to this documentary makes you intimately involved in its production and initiative.

Why Kickstarter: Mikkelson says it’s not all about the money. It’s also about “building community around the film, which may be more important in the long run in increasing awareness of the global tales of forgiveness.”

Also, if the project fulfills its $10,000 goal, it will continue to raise money till May 31. The extra funds will go towards shooting the other international stories, hopefully in South America and Europe, says Mikkelson.

Last Word: “A Minneapolis story started this all!” The very diverse nature of the Twin Cities made SMOOCH possible.

Project: LegUp Studio…Print Your Art Out!

Goal: $4,000

Deadline: Monday, June 4

LegUp Studio has already surpassed its monetary goal.

Why it’s good: Minneapolis has no shortage of people and places that make prints, but navigating that world as an up-and-comer isn’t necessarily easy. LegUp Studio, located in the Northeast arts district, is working to change that with an affordable, accessible print making space. “I think the idea of creating a community print space has long been a dream for all of us,” says Gilpin Matthews, who co-founded the venture with Lauren Schuppe and Edie Overturf. The three united when Lauren and Gilpin, also known as Kick.Stand.Press, decided to move into a larger space and invited wood-cut printer Edie to share the studio. The three artists soon began developing their shared goal of a print collective for “everyday folks.” The shop is now “chugging along,” she says, but the creators launched their Kickstarter with the hope of expanding the services they offer, including T-shirt, fabric yards, and wallpaper printing.

“It is not always easy for printmakers to both purchase and house all of the required presses and supplies that they need to print,” Gilpin says. “We make it easy: Just come print here and save yourself some money, space, and be a part of a collective community.”

Rewards: Hand-printed note cards, tote bags, and T-shirts aren’t just the rewards you can earn by donating to the campaign; they’re also advertisements for the kinds of projects artists can make at LegUp. If you really want a closer look at how the studio works, though, give $100 for enrollment in one of their screenprinting workshops or $200 for a private screenprinting class for two.

Why Kickstarter: Lauren and Gilpin had first heard about the site from a printmaking colleague in San Francisco a few years ago, and had been waiting for the right project to use it. ”I heard one of the creators of Kickstarter interviewed on NPR the other day, and I was so happy to hear about how he felt about never selling the site to private interests, and how he really believed in the power of several small donors helping a larger project,” Gilpin says. “That kind of thing pulls at our heartstrings and should be encouraging to anyone who is thinking of starting a project campaign using Kickstarter.”

Last word: LegUp’s collective spirit is tied to the founders’ roots in the Northeast arts community and Minneapolis as a whole. “The artists here are our friends and associates, and if we all work together we will succeed,” Gilpin says. “LegUp  is appreciative of all collective efforts, and we feel the more facilities that there are, the better and stronger the print arts will be in Minneapolis.”

Photo via the LegUp Studio website.

Music is first and foremost an auditory art, and we more often than not remember and obsess over it as such, but when we go to see music live, it becomes a multiple sensory experience that is arguably a completely different kind of intense and unforgettable than when we listen to our first favorite record or hear a life-changing song on the radio. Sharyn Morrow is one of a select group of invaluable Twin Cities live music lovers who document the way the lights hit the stage, the contorted expressions on musicians’ faces mid-catharsis, and more.

“I enjoy the energy of live shows,” the longtime concert photographer says. She muses on the subject a bit more before telling me her story: “I’m an agnostic but have always thought of music as my religion. Especially when there’s that vibe, when you know the show is something special.” This is when she breaks out the camera and tries to translate the ephemera to a collection of images. “The crowd isn’t talking through the performer’s set,” she suggests as  an example. “Everyone is enjoying what’s happening on stage and transfixed by it. That communal experience is so satisfying.”

Morrow captures these vital moments of unity and awe with her work, which she’s been doing for over a decade now, with a Pentax K-1000SE she got more than 10 years after she had already become enamored as a young kid with Twin Cities venues legitimate and otherwise. It started, like it does for most, with First Avenue and the 7th Street Entry (“It was always pretty jarring crossing over from the Mainroom’s Sunday night dance party to the raw power of the hardcore shows in the Entry,” she recounts, “but I needed both.”). Then, as she started following around Babes in Toyland, Blind Approach, and others, she was led to house shows and St. Paul’s dearly departed Speedboat Gallery and Motor Oil Cafe. “All that finger pointing, screaming, singing along,” she pinpoints. “The raw energy was my release.”

Release from what? Well part of it was from being a punk rock teenaged Lebanese Arab-American growing up in White Bear Lake. “Everyone gets teased for something in junior high and high school. Me? My classmates got Lebanon and Libya mixed up and called me Qadaffi’s Daughter for years,” she looks back in disgust. “More annoying than actually hurtful,” she admits, but still not the average suburban adolescence.

This, coupled with the death of her older brother Tom in the tenth grade, sent Morrow on a spiral. “The loss left me vacillating between anger and depression,” she describes. “I’d always been a good student, but when eleventh grade rolled around, I no longer cared much. Thankfully there was one extremely patient and inspiring teacher: Mr. Skunberg. I’ve been meaning to send him some sort of thank you for years now,” she confesses. Who knows? Maybe this will find him. She continues: “I took his graphic arts course for two years. It was equal parts desktop publishing, offset printing and photography. And just what I needed. And what’s led to my dual career of the last 20 years – in web development/IT work and photography.” It’s also one half of the reason Morrow went from photographing architecture and flowers to Paul Metzger and Daughters of the Sun. “It took me a little while to work up the guts to shoot shows,” she concedes, but once again, a big life change had an indirect effect on her path.

“I felt relieved and surprised, about being excited and having something to take my mind off my troubles a bit,” she says of first starting to use the camera outside of school. “But I didn’t have the self-confidence then that I do now. Too often I was gun-shy about taking my camera out at shows unless I knew the bands personally,” Morrow reflects. “In the late ’80s and early ’90s, I was going to far too many male-dominated shows and most photographers I saw, but not all, were dudes. Thankfully I got over it.” She takes a second to ponder where the shift came from. “Maybe the riot grrl era had something to do with it, but more likely becoming a mother in 1999 made everything else seem less daunting.”

Votel at Heliotrope Eight

Thirteen years later, Morrow now has a successful career in desktop publishing (which she still emphasizes is largely courtesy of the skills gained in Mr. Skunberg’s course), and of course she’s going to as many shows as possible, lenses in tow, but she also works part time as a professional photographer in various capacities, and you can hire her as well as view her portfolio at her web site Sharyn Shoots. “Photography had been a long-standing hobby, but not one I ever thought would be lucrative,” she emphasizes, but after serving as an assistant to a photographer at a wedding in 2007, she’s since gone on to shoot dozens of weddings, engagement photos, family photos, real estate photography, pets, and band photos, as she puts it, “for actual money.” When asked if she’d ever give it a go as her primary career, she responds, “I’ve entertained the notion of doing it full-time but I don’t ever want to come to hate this precious thing that brings me so much joy. That, and I’ve got a pre-teen son to feed.”

Right now, anyway, for Morrow it’s the thrill of snapping a picture right when something unpredictable happens on stage, or of a one-of-a-kind reunion like TVBC at the Loring Theater last year. “I just go with my gut,” she explains her style. “I try to get the most playful shots possible. I love capturing those easy-to-miss moments when band members smile at one another or when they’re really having fun with the audience. Or the times when musicians are so lost in what they’re doing they’re rendered oblivious to anything else around them.” As for what environments make for the best shooting conditions, she believes there really aren’t any rules. “Sometimes a new or unusual venue can make all the difference, like when I saw Low perform inside a kayak shed at the Square Lake Festival, while it was pouring rain outside,” she says on the one hand. “But it can be the same old venue – like the Turf or Triple Rock or the Entry or the Varsity – and something unexpectedly magical will come across during a performance.”

This weekend in particular will mark the return of one of Morrow’s favorite (author’s note: it should be one of everybody’s favorite) recurring Twin Cities traditions: the three-day Heliotrope music festival. The event is celebrating its ninth installment at the Lab Theater this year. Talking about the vent, in the same automatic breath Morrow mentions the beautiful moments that arise from the most photogenic shows, calling it “the annual local festival that very deliberately fosters conditions so that this magic can occur.” She hypes it up more: “The organizers put so much effort into finding just the right venue while lining up three days’ worth of underexposed but amazing bands, with atmospheric projections by the gifted Emily Kaplan that always perfectly match the music, and other volunteers who make the whole thing run as smoothly as possible.”

In the future, Morrow simply plans to keep on shooting as much as possible. “I’m game for whatever,” she summarizes. Her work as a music photographer doesn’t end at bar time on a given night, though. “In fact I’m in the planning stages of a big ‘Battle of the Bands’ project – not for pay, just to scratch a creative itch.” She details the concept: “It will be a series of diptychs where I try to capture the underlying currents of tension that can plague bands – that comes with the territory of maintaining an essentially polygamous relationship. But I’m hoping this will be more therapeutic than violent.” It’s a unique idea that will surely resonate with anyone who’s ever attempted to make music with more than one other person. She finishes up by promoting the project one last time: “I’ve got a pretty diverse group of bands who have volunteered so far, some with fake blood, but I’m open to taking on a few more.”

You can contact Morrow at sharyn@sharynshoots.com if you’re interested.

Why did you start Mill City Men?

To be honest, I started MCM on a whim! Considering my love for Minneapolis and my love for style, this felt like a blogging concept I could stick with that had potential to grow a large following. There are some amazing Minneapolis style blogs out there, but I found there wasn’t one that focused on how men were dressing. I want to show how Minneapolis men interpret fashion trends, because I feel like the the people here always put a spin on a nation-wide trend that makes it uniquely Minnesotan.

Would you say Minneapolis has its own distinct style?

Minneapolis definitely has its own style. I’m not sure if I can put my finger on what exactly that “style” is (and if I hear the term “Minneapolis hipster” one more time, I might cut off my hair in protest), but I do believe that the climate here has a lot to do with it. Minnesota experiences all 4 seasons, so one’s wardrobe must change accordingly at each turn. This gives people the freedom to try all sorts of new things, whether it be moonboots for winter or neon in the summer. What I love most about the men that I shoot is that they’re really just everyday guys! They’re not necessarily models, they are real people who wear what they wear because they like it, not because they saw it in V Magazine. Kirk, one of the men featured on MCM has been wearing the same pair of Red Wing boots since the 80s! Even before the Americana trend came back, he still rocked them, simply because he appreciated the quality of the boots.

Where in the city would you suggest someone go if they were interested in being surrounded by attractive, well-dressed men? Are there any neighborhoods that stand out as being particularly fashionable?

EVERY Minneapolis neighborhood is filled with attractive, well-dressed men! To me, style does not necessarily mean keeping up-to-date on current trends and constantly using them; true style is finding what works for you and incorporating trends into that. But that said, I would say Nicollet Mall and Uptown are great meccas for style inspiration, as people from all over the metro frequent these places.

Do you have any favorite local menswear boutiques?

One of the menswear boutiques I really enjoy is MartinPatrick3. For men, making an outfit stand out often only requires a small, interesting detail. A pocket square, interesting watch, or maybe a pair of shoes can spell the difference between ‘a man wearing black suit’ and ‘a man wearing a black suit incredibly well.’ MartinPatrick3 is a great place to find unique pieces for almost anyone’s taste. I also love BlackBlu in St. Paul because they do an amazing job highlighting local heritage brands like Red Wing and Duluth Pack.

Are there any upcoming trends that the fashionable Minneapolis man should watch?

Summer is here, and I would really like to see more men wearing bright colors. I don’t mean a bright tee shirt–it would be refreshing to see a Minneapolis man wearing bright orange suede Oxfords, a yellow belt, or turquoise dress pants with his everyday gear. Guys are often scared of color in their wardrobes because it makes them stand out, but I don’t think they realize they would be standing out for a really really good reason.

What’s your favorite Mill City Men post to date?

My favorite MCM post has yet to be posted! I won’t say too much, but I was given a great opportunity to partner with a local retailer for a photoshoot that will be up on MillCityMen.com in the coming week. But out of what I’ve already published, my favorite was the profile on Snowgrade.

Besides the style, what do you love about Minneapolis?

The food! Oh wow, do I love the food. We’ve got a little bit of everything here, and its all pretty good! I also love the progressive nature of the city. Living here and taking the time to truly experience everything the city has to offer makes you feel like you’re part of the bigger picture. Of all the cities I’ve experienced in my life, there’s nothing quite like Minneapolis.

Going to a Twins game? Hey, those are great seats! If you haven’t been to a game this year then you haven’t experienced all of the great things to do at a Target Field. There’s great food, a bunch of local beers, some sight seeing to do… just all sorts of cool things to check out. Oh, and I guess you can watch baseball, too.

The first thing you’ll want to do is just walk around the stadium for a while and find the cool spots to hang out. Sooner or later you’ll find the Budweiser Roof Deck and the party that’s always happening there. If it’s not closed for a private event you’ll be able to relax by a nice glass fire pit and grab some beers at the huge bar. You’ll be so surrounded by the action that you’ll barely remember that it’s the 9^th inning and the Twins are on the receiving end of a complete game shutout again.

Make sure you scout around to find where you can get some of the food made by local restaurants. Murray’s has a pretty good steak sandwich and everyone I’ve talked to loves the Vincent burger. If you want something that’ll let you be more mobile go with J.D. Hoyt’s pork chop on a stick or a brat from Kramarczuk’s. It’s really one of the coolest things about Target Field – being able to get a little taste of our restaurant scene right there in the stadium. When the food is that good who cares that Komatsu or Mastroianni or some other no-name just grounded into the Twin’s fifth double play to end the inning, leaving two men in scoring position?

While you’re chowing down don’t forget to wash everything down with one of our amazing local beers. It’s no secret that Minnesota makes some great beer and you can find the good stuff at Target Field, that’s for sure. Summit’s always been there but just this year they’ve added Fulton and Surly. Even though it’s a little more expensive, a couple of pints of Furious will take the sting out of witnessing three infielders stare at each other while a pop fly lands right in between them not four feet in front of home plate.

You’re gonna love it, man. Target Field has such a fun atmosphere. Every time I go I find new things to do. You can have a beer and shoot the shit with the organ player, you can track Kirby the Kestrel (he’s back!) as he takes down moths from the right field foul pole… there’s just no end to it. Maybe if you’re lucky you can get circled by Bert. At the end of the day you’ll have had so much fun you won’t even know if the Twins lost 3-2, 5-0 or 11-3!