Newsletter
February 2008
Hello, and Happy New Year to all!
(new-ish, anyway-it's still January)!
Cooqi is working up some big, wonderful plans for the coming year. As great as 2007 was for our getting started and finding an appreciative gluten-free audience, 2008 will bring even more exciting new opportunities for Cooqi, including:
Baking classes
I am really pleased to announce our first (of what I hope will be many more) gluten-free baking classes. Working in partnership with Mothersauces cooking school in Richfield (located at 7630 Lyndale Ave. So.; www.mothersauces.com and click on 'classes'), I will be teaching our first class on Sat. Feb. 23, from 10-12:30. This will be an introductory class, covering some basic principles of GF baking and offering opportunity for some hands-on practice in a group classroom setting. I think it will be a fun way to spend a Saturday morning - we'll do some baking, a little eating, and you’ll walk away with several great recipes AND the knowledge that GF baking does not have to be very complicated to be fabulous. A win-win! Sign up now if you are interested, as the class size is limited, and I'm pretty sure it will fill up. I look forward to seeing some familiar faces there!
Valentine's Day Cakes
Yes, it is that time, approaching fast! Is your sweetie or someone you love (including you!!) gluten-free? We think they would really love one of our sweet and cute little (serves 1-2) heart-shaped cakes, perfect for romantic sharing. Or, if you are expecting a slightly bigger crowd (or perhaps slightly bigger sweet-tooths) for Valentine's, you may be interested in a slightly larger-but still small and "cute"-6" round cake. We'll have several of each on hand for everyone's sweeties on February 13th and 14th. Call to reserve yours today or submit an online order Cake Order Form. You may specify what flavor of cake and/or frosting you want, but please be aware that individual cake designs may vary from those in photo. Note: if you want to use the online form to reserve a little heart cake for Valentine's, please fill in the special directions text section with the words "Valentine's heart-shaped mini-cake" in lieu of choosing a size, and complete the rest of the form.. 6" Valentine's cakes can be ordered in the standard fashion. As always, I feel it my duty to warn you that, while we will certainly do our best to have a good supply, it is possible that we may run out. To avoid heartache (yours and your intended's), it is wise to call ahead. 651-645-4433.
Cakes!
This is actually not new news, but it was brought to my attention recently that I have been remiss in updating folks about our current cake-ability. We do cakes! Beautiful, happy, celebratory cakes. We recommend that you allow three business days for us to complete your custom order. What is new is that you can order your cake online if you like, simply go to the On-Line Cake Order Form and complete the form. We will contact you by phone to arrange for credit card payment.
Watch for…Shipping!!
This is actually really big news. For those of you who have been waiting for the chance to skip the drive, or who have friends or loved ones in need of healthy GF fare far away, we are finally getting our shipping act together (and taking it on the road, so to speak). We are, at this very moment, in the process of adding a shopping cart to our website, and we hope to have this feature ready to go by March 1. If you feel like you can't wait that long, and if you are OK with a little less structure, drop me an email (judy@cooqiglutenfree.com), or call the bakery, and we will try to work something out for you.
Wider availability
within sight…We've been taunting you for months now with talk of sales of our products through other venues. Currently, you can purchase our pizza crust and bread at the Mississippi Market on Randolph and Fairview in St. Paul. And, we are still working out details, but it looks like next up will be Lakewinds Coops in Minnetonka and Chanhassen. March 1 is our target date for our products to debut there, to coincide with Lakewinds' Gluten-Free Month.
And, in addition…
You may have noticed our slightly changed winter hours - we scaled things back just a bit, since no one was showing up in the dark. Look for a return to longer hours again when the light returns. Current hours: Wed. 9-6, Thur. 9-7, Fri. 9-6, Sat. 9-4.
When you see Megan and/or Maggie back in the shop at the end of January, be sure to ask them about their recent global travels (Megan to New Zealand, and Maggie to Africa!). We're so glad they are the kind of people who do such cool things, but we will be really glad to have them back.
Product focus: Cooqi Signature GF Baking Mix
As long as you are still with me, allow me to take a moment to talk up our amazing baking mix. For starters, it is just about the freshest, most nutritious GF baking mix you will find anywhere. We use freshly milled organic whole-grain flours, blended by hand in small batches in our GF kitchen. I think you'll notice that, not only does this make anything you make with our baking mix better for you than if you use an off-the-grocery-shelf mix, it also tastes way better We add xanthan gum to the mix, so it is ready to use like flour in your recipes. Try measuring cup-for-cup in things like your favorite cookie recipes. You may notice slight differences in the moisture level of your batters (fresher flour retains more moisture). If this is troublesome, try adjusting the added liquid amount down by a tablespoon or so. In general, you can make lots of easy, delicious things with this simple mix!
Try this: pancake recipe
1 ¾ c. Cooqi GF Baking Mix
2 tsp baking powder
½ tsp salt
3 eggs
1 ½ c. milk or rice milk or water
¼ c. oil (safflower is good, or try unrefined coconut, for a slightly coconuty taste)
1 tbsp real maple syrup
Whisk the eggs well in a large bowl. Whisk in the remaining liquid ingredients. Add the dry ingredients, and stir well (avoid overmixing). Set batter aside for a few minutes (it will be quite runny at first). Heat a griddle or frying pan, and oil as needed. Scoop out pancakes by quarter-cup (smaller pancakes seem to fluff up better). You may want to make only one pancake for the first round, as first pancakes tend to be less than perfect. Serve with butter and real maple syrup, plus extras of your choice! Mmmmm. Want more ideas? Come to my intro to GF Baking class Feb. 23rd (see above)!
Start your New Year with Delicious Gluten-Free Baked Goods!
Love and Peace,
Judy
Other Newsletters:
June 2008 Newsletter
May 2008 Newsletter
March 2008 Newsletter
February 2008 Newsletter
July 2007 Newsletter
August 2007 Newsletter
October 2007 Newsletter
November 2007 Newsletter
December 2007 Newsletter
