When the floor samples arrived for our newest product, the Wellness Mat, we were amazed. Willie and I had to trade off standing on the 12”x8” piece they sent us. It is about absolutely incredible, we could feel our feet relaxing almost immediately! And now that the mats have arrived here at the shop, you can have one (or two!) of your very own.

These mats are designed for people like us. And you. Those who find themselves standing. Upright. For long periods of time, doing what they enjoy. Regardless of what you are doing, these mats have been found to encourage proper circulation, better posture, muscle conditioning and improve overall well-being.

 

Really, how does that work? This ingenious mat suspends or displaces the stander’s weight to promote frequent, natural, and subtle rebalancing.

Interesting! What’s the result? Muscles contract and relax, and blood flow to the extremities is encouraged.

The benefit? Muscle fatigue and stress are greatly reduced, granting you the ability to cruise through your daily activities pain-free and with maximum comfort.

Leg pain? Feet aches? Soothe those parts of your body that feel it the most. We are extremely excited to have these mats in the store. Come in try them for yourself. Standing is believing!

Brown! Black! Burgundy! Tan! Grey!

Comes in sizes perfect for your space.

• 3’x2’ - $120 – ideal for tight spaces in the laundry, washroom, smaller kitchens
• 6’x2’ - $200 – best selling size, use in front of islands, sinks, stoves, or bathrooms
• 6’x3’ - $290 – makes perfect sense in larger workspaces or exercise room
• 5’x4’ - $290 (not yet in tan) – spread your wings to move from station to station

Come on down and check ‘em out, or see more pictures on our website. We’ll see you soon!

You love your Stonehouse infused olive oils, but you’re wondering about the sediment on the bottom? What is it? Is it safe?

Have No Fear! The Freshness is Here!

There may be some hesitation regarding the bits of materials that has sunk to the bottom of your precious Stonehouse Olive Oil. Or the bottle is more cloudy than the last one you purchased.

Stonehouse Olive Oil is a local company in Berkeley, CA, that  bottles up their liquid gold in small batches. As one can expect, there will be inconsistencies in color and clarity.

Some of the Stonehouse Olive Oils are unfiltered. After harvesting and pressing the olives, the oil is allowed to sit for a bit. For the wine and oil connoisseurs, you may be familiar with this process technically called "racking". Racking allows for the sediment to settle to the bottom and the clear oil is then siphoned off. In the case of unfiltered olive oil, the oil is not settled for as long, bottled sooner after harvest, and thus bringing you a fresher product!

You have two simple options if you find your lovely oil is freshly unfiltered. The sediment can be alleviated with a few good shakes of the bottle before using. It is not harmful in anyway and often olive oil aficionados will opt for the unfiltered type. Health-nuts praise the unfiltered olive oil for being full of anti-oxidants and free radicals.  These are beneficial for protection to your body against certain diseases.

If you can part with the last bit, the second option is to simple use the entire bottle and then discard what is left at the bottom. Not as green friendly in the kitchen, but then you can bring back your empty House Blend and Blood Orange Bottles for refilling at the Cooks Boulevard. Not buying another glass bottle and saving a few dollars certainly is green friendly.

And here's extra storage tip. Many people keep oil in cold environments to prevent oxidation or breakdown of the healthy fats. The good news is that the cold will not affect your olive oil. Prolonged exposure to cold will affect the taste however. Stored bottles of the Stonehouse Olive oil  will  eventually lose its flavor if kept in the refrigerator for weeks or months. An ideal location for your oil is to keep it room temperature and away from heat and light. You may find that unfiltered olive oil will have more of a tendency to coagulate or freeze than clear olive oil.

Cheers,

Sara

Cooks Boulevard opened their doors wide for the Cupcakes on Sunday with a very exciting turnout!

Over the course of just one hour, 100 people strolled into a magnificent array and display of cupcakes. Everyone got a taste of treats after making a monetary contribution to the San Francisco Food Bank.

Priscilla, pioneer of moonbabycakes, joined us with her perfectly swirled Red Velvet, Cookies & Cream, and Chocolate Raspberry. Recently featured in Daily Candy, we were excited to have her cupcakes in attendance!

 

Teeny Cake, led by Michelle, brought her Sweet Tart, Berry Nice to Meet You, Southern Tradition, and Toffee Crunch. There were lots of “Mmmmm” after biting into her fun party favors on a stick in both a red velvet and mint chocolate version (think cake and frosting rolled together and dipped in chocolate!)

Upstairs, Kingdom Cake donned cupcakes with fabulous fashion appeal. Glitz and glitter topped treats including Basil Lemon Blueberry, Thai Tea, Chocolate Peanut Butter, Spicy Chocolate, and Orange Nutella. Quite the eye-popping presentation!

 

Lastly, the highly anticipated Mission Minis pulled out all the stops with Swiss Almond Coconut, Ruby Red Velvet, Cinnamon Horchata, and Aztec Chocolate. They were flying off the trays!

 

Brandon of Mission Minis gave Andrea Hart a short tutorial on his work. She tried her best to convey what she learned to other attendees. I think she sold them.

When all was said and done, I would like to thank Fima from Fima Photography, our local wedding and event photographer, for being present and having a good time. I appreciate Bruce from Cafe Ponte for contributing some coffee to clear our palates.

 

Thanks Amelia for being the San Francisco Food Bank representative for the night!

And of course the support of our short little neighbor, Bella. Truly a good time by all!

 

If you love what you see and would like cupcakes to make an appearance at your own party, please feel free to contact these wonderful bakers! If you want to try your hand at making your own, we have just the tools you'll need to baking, line, and frost! And if you would not like to miss our next yummy event, join our email newsletter at www.cooksboulevard.com (the option is at the very bottom of the page).

Cheers to Cupcakes that Celebrate!

‘Till next time-

Sara

Who needs a flourish of trumpets and fanfare when you can have cupcakes at your next big festivity?!

Whether it's a wedding or anniversary of the big day, it's time to bring out the delectable cupcakes for all to whisper, wonder, and be wow'd over.

Not sure what you want?

Lucky for you, Cooks Boulevard, located in Noe Valley, will be presenting

"Cupcakes to Celebrate!"

Sunday, February 21st, 2010

6:30pm-7:15pm, 7:30-8:15pm

Space is limited and our last event was totally booked so please RSVP at the bottom of this page…

We would like to welcome:

Jasmine Rae Bakery, as a native San Franciscan, Jasmine Rae started this bakery with the vision of bringing unique treats to the culinary-zealous people of this city.

Mission Minis, founded in 2009 by Brandon Arnovick right here in San Francisco. From small batches of mini cupcakes for coworkers to the current full-fledged baking operation, Brandon has always paid attention to the little details - it's what makes Mission Minis stand out from the crowd!

Teeny Cakes, ranging from flavors such as Ooh Wee PB!, flourless chocolate cake topped with peanut butter frosting, to It’s Mint to Be, chocolate cake topped with minty buttercream, these cupcakes make a regular appearance at Farmer’s Markets in San Francisco and San Rafel.

Kingdom Cake, with some sweet and some savory, there are over 50 flavors to satisfy palates of all kinds. And with organic ingredients when possible but always the finest, you can be sure to find something for every mood and every craving!

The best part is you can come taste for a cause. Donations will be made in support of The San Francisco Food Bank. This is an organization right in the city that provides healthy food to alleviate hunger through various direct distributions. Here at Cooks Boulevard, we have been working with the Food Bank to do our part with the food barrel program for fourteen months and filled nine barrels! Food is a fantastic help, but donating just $1 equals $9 worth of food. We would like to suggest a donation of $10 per person, which will allow you to taste all the hand picked favorites while supporting small and local businesses.

Visit our website for all the details. We'll see you there!

to Twenty-Ten!

We had a whirl wind of a holiday season, leaving us a bit dry in the store, but full of joy that people chose us as a hot gift spot. Now we’re settling into the first month, taking a moment to contemplate on the past year and how we can emerge to bring you another fantastic year.

Is you resolution for 2010 to up your cooking repertoire? Make your own meals more often? Maybe you are really raising the bar and cooking with friends weekly or your resolution is to simply eat in once a week.

Where ever you may be, we can help you get organized and on your way to a well suited kitchen! Check out our range of items from handy prepping tools to the gorgeous Le Creuset colors that can dazzle up your stovetop, counters, and drawers.

And we love to talk recipes! Find an assortment in the store’s new community corner or browse some of our previously held classes for posted recipes online. If you’re not ready to take matters into your own hands just yet, get a little help with our January cooking classes, especially Essential Knife Skills.

Let us know what we can do for you. As an independent and local store, we look to provide product as well (and sometimes more importantly, product knowledge). Pick our brains and we may just spill the beans on some very cool tricks of the trade!

Hope to see or hear from you all soon,

The Cooks Boulevard Crew.

Thank you everyone who was in attendance to the classy “A Cupcake Affair” Sunday night! There were many eager engaged couples anticipating cupcakes to go with their big day and I think its safe to say no one went home disappointed. Fima Photography from down the street joined us as well as Cafe Ponte who provided some java to wash down the yummy treats of the night!

 

Our cupcake baker-extraordinaires put up quite the show offering a smattering of flavors for all to try and taste. Sorry no bites for now, but take a peek!

Noe Valley Bakery

Mike and Terry swooped in from around the corner with some of their more popular styles:

Red Velvet Cupcake. A southern signature red velvet chocolate cake with traditional cream cheese frosting.

Most-est Cupcake. Chocolate cake with Bavarian cream filling topped with chocolate ganache.

Vanilla Cupcake. Classic vanilla cake with buttercream frosting.

   

 

That Takes the Cake

         

From the Marina, Keisha and Brian came loaded with perfect happy hour specials:

• Cosmopolitan. Cosmopolitan flavored cake with a touch of Grand Marnier topped with Vodka and cranberry frosting.
• Strawberry Daiquiri. Rum spiked strawberry cake with rum spiked strawberry frosting.
• Chocolate Baileys.  Buttermilk chocolate cake topped with Irish Baileys Cream frosting.
• Fuzzy Navel. Vodka and Peach Schnapps spiked orange cake topped with Peach Schnapps frosting.
• White Russian. Buttermilk chocolate cake topped with Kalua & Vodka frosting.
• Screw Driver. Vodka spiked orange cake topped with Vodka frosting.
• Pina Colada. Malibu rum flavored cake topped with a Pina Colada flavored buttercream frosting and sprinkled with toasted coconut.
• Lemon Drop. Vodka spiked lemon cake topped with Lemon & Vodka frosting.

They also brought their new fall favorite flavors:

• Cow Hollow. Pumpkin spice cake topped with cream cheese frosting and a dust of cinnamon.
• What Competition. Buttermilk chocolate cake filled with a lightly salted caramel topped with chocolate butter cream and salt.
• The Professor's Favorite. Ginger and spice cake topped with lemon butter cream makes everything nice.
• Humming Bird.  A twist on the classic fruit cake with bananas, pineapples, coconut, pecans, and dried cherries topped with cream cheese and dried pineapple.
• Mint Kissed. Peppermint cake with rich chocolate buttercream and crushed mint.
• Gentleman Prefer Reds. Lightly flavored cocoa buttermilk cake topped with cream cheese frosting.

 

Sweetie Cups

   

Doro brought her delicious treat with German flair and all:

Moonlight by the Sea. Chocolate cake with an almond chocolate
frosting topped off with almond pieces and sea salt.

Schnucki cup. Strawberry cake with white chocolate strawberry frosting topped off with fresh strawberry pieces.

Georgia on my Mind. Peach cake with mascarpone peach cream
finished with a peach piece.

Banana Split. Nutella filled banana cake, iced with vanilla whipping cream frosting and chocolate shavings.

 

Sugar Beat Sweets

    

Owner of the woman run vegan bakery, Melisser dolled out samples of:

• Peanut Butter Cup. Chocolate cake filled with Peanut Butter buttercream and coated in Chocolate ganache.
• Snickerdoodle. Vanilla-Cinnamon swirl cake covered in Vanilla buttercream, topped with a dusting of Cinnamon.
• Classic Vanilla. Fluffy Vanilla cake topped with Vanilla buttercream or Chocolate frosting.
• Orange Dreamsicle. Vanilla-Citrus zest cake filled with orange buttercream.
• Peppermint Patty. Chocolate cake filled with Minty frosting, coated in Chocolate ganache.

 

 

Citizen Cake

    

Filled plates with their favorites:

• Lemon Mania.
• Pumpkin.
• Carrot.
• Chocolate Chip.
• Sticky Toffee.
• Vanilla.
• Chocolate.
• Signature.

 

Cups and Cakes

 

Jennifer arrived armed with a mix of favorites:

• Rich Red Velvet. Red Velvet Cake with Cream Cheese frosting, red sprinkles.
• Deep Dark Chocolate. Dark Chocolate Cake with dark chocolate buttercream, chocolate chip.
• Killer Carrot. Nut-Free Spiced Carrot Cake with cream cheese frosting and candied carrots.

 

 

If you are thinking of cupcakes for your wedding and would like to stay tuned for our next event, please contact Sara at the store, her email is

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

To Cooks Boulevard that is.

Our completely booked “A Cupcake Affair” will be taking place on Sunday, November 1st right at in the store. Featured will be wedding cupcakes, the ever so popular trend these days as a cake alternative, goodie favor, or a pre-party event treat. This round of bakers’ specialties range from traditional to vegan, each with their own funk and flair.

The invited are engaged couples from around the city. They will be flocking to our neighborhood cookware shop to test and taste as well as acquaint themselves with Cooks Boulevard’s wedding registry service. The registry option is a fantastic choice for those who are interested in a local alternative to the big box chain stores, or in addition too. The experienced and knowledgeable staff here at the shop happily assists couples to customize in-store and online wedding registries.

Think you missed the boat? You’re not out to sea yet.

If you are in the planning phases of your wedding and missed this opportunity to join us for “A Cupcake Affair”, don’t fret! Couples interested in setting up a registry with us are welcome at anytime.

Just pop into the store and start your list, before you know it, your list will be available online.

Or start from the comfort of your home and personal computer by registering right on the Cooks Boulevard website. After a few questions and a confirmation email, you can begin adding items for your guests to see and purchase

Enjoy easy pick-up at the store as well as a two-for-one seat option in our Essential Knife Skills class!

You can also stay tuned for round two! Coming late winter. Contact Sara at sarae@cooksboulevard.com if you have any questions about the event or registering for your wedding at Cooks Boulevard.

Things are getting busier and it's time to bring on someone to help us out. Check out the job description for the details.

Oh peach season has passed, so one has to bring on the pears!

Frog Hollow taught us in their last newsletter that pears are most often picked this time of the year and then stored in a cellar so that the starches turn to sugars, making them sweet and more often associated with the colder months. But they have slipped a few of the first pears into our boxes recently-Asian pears. Small, speckled, and crisp. I noticed recently my small pile of peaches and pluots dwindling while the six or seven little pears hung on tight. I tried one sliced up with my oatmeal the other morning but decided it was time for some real fun with these special first of the seasons.

So here comes the result of my dire need to do something with my Asian pears before my next fruit delivery. Ginger Pear Bread. The complementary flavors are excitingly unusual with the sweet pear and subtle ginger. And vegan. And easily gluten-free if you swap out the flour. Just all an around fantastic recipe for cute muffins, muffin tops, mini muffins, or a single loaf. I added some slivered almonds to the top of my muffins and loaf for a nice crunch and I bet rolled oats would be good as well.

Enjoy!

Never-To-Linger-Ginger-Pear Bread

1 ¼ cups pear puree
½ cup sugar or agave nectar
½ cup canola oil
2 Tablespoons soy milk
1 Tablespoon grated ginger
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon salt
3 Tablespoons of hot water mixed with 1 Tablespoon of ground flax seed
1 cup diced pear, peeled
1 teaspoon sugar
½ teaspoon cinnamon
½ teaspoon nutmeg
1 ¼ cups whole wheat flour
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon non-aluminum baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda

First, preheat oven to 325F.  Peel and core about 2 ½ medium sized pears and blend or process into 1 ¼ cup of pear puree. Add the sugar, oil, soy milk, ginger, lemon juice and salt and process until smooth.  Add the water and flax mixture and process until smooth.    

Then, in a small bowl, gentle mix together the diced pear with 1 teaspoon sugar, ½ teaspoon cinnamon and ½ teaspoon nutmeg.  Cover the diced pears evenly and then set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the whole wheat flour, all-purpose flour, baking powder and baking soda.  

Combine the wet ingredients into the bowl containing the dry ingredients and mix until just incorporated.  Stir the diced pear mixture into the dough.

To Make Muffins:
Line a muffin pan with cupcake liners or grease pan.  Pour the batter into the muffin pan and bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean.  Makes 6 to 8 muffins.

To Make Bread:
Pour the dough mixture into a lightly oiled loaf pan and bake for about 1 hour or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean.

Adapted from Mattie’s recipe.

We have certainly been blessed with some truly wonderful summer days recently!

They are perfect for pineapple juice rocket pops and Frog Hollow’s uber ripe peaches and nectarines. People have been really enjoying the Frog Hollow’s fruit and Eating with the Season’s vegetable, fruit, meat, and eggs CSA boxes that arrive weekly to the store. These are boxes that come right from the farm to the store and are devoured within the week. The options are endless with the wonderful produce from Eating with the Seasons and everyone has their own favorite methods of enjoying the Frog Hollow’s stone fruit. Dehydrated, with granola, blended in a smoothie, grilled out back for a sweet dessert (or indoors!), even fresh out of the box.

So, with September approaching, we are only now entering the season we truthfully have all been waiting for. Tomatoes. Heirloom, cherry, dry-farmed early girls (tomatoes that are not watered after they are transplanted thus the roots must grower deeper for water and produce a more concentrated flavor), and more.

Tomatero Farm’s Tomato CSA weekly delivery started last week! What this means is that you can be the recipient of a lovely 4-5lb box of fresh tomatoes from some of the best growers in their field (love the pun). Imagine a Lasagna Tart (another good way to use all that farmer’s market zucchini), a nice Tomato and Quinoa dish, or a simple TLT sandwich with a side of good fun, family, and friends! This would require sharing some of your mouth watering tomatoes, but sometimes we have to do things we don’t always like to do.

Stop by and ask Martha, Malcolm, or Sara about signing up with for Tomatero’s tomatoes or check out more information on our Tomatero Farm's CSA page.  If you know you want in, you can find their contact info on that page as well. The rate is very well priced and runs for $15 per week with sign-ups available for two weeks at a time.

Thank you Heidi Swanson of 101 Cookbooks for her fantastic recipes, Tomatero Farm’s for their lovely produce pictures, and UCSC where I learned about dry farmed early girls! Hope you check them all out.