Cynthia Shaffer

Fast Cars and Kimchi Tofu Korean Soup

Jenny and I made plans to go out to dinner tonight to her favorite Korean tofu soup restaurant ... I volunteered to drive.

She could hear me coming from way up the street ... This 1980 Z28 Camaro is my husbands car ... actually the first car he owned and drove while in high school back in his hometown in New York.

We had the car shipped to us way back when ... like 18 years ago or so. The car sat in our drive way for a few years until one day we decided to have the smog stuff fixed and order those California plate. Right around this time I met Jenny Doh and we became fast friends with our kids the same ages and lots of things in common ... then the licences plates arrived in the mail ... really ... 3 DOH634 ... what are the chances?

So Jenny jumped in the car and off we went to dinner. She had never driven in the camaro before so this was going to be a treat. She will tell you that she was scared to death, gripping the arm rest with all her might and at one point, when I accelerated on the freeway, you know, trying to get the hood vent to fly open, she screamed really loud. Hilarious!

Dinner was amazing ... Kimchi pork Korean soup and BBQ ribs ... so spicy, literally boiling hot, with flavor that's to die for. 

Loved the miniature clothing framed on the walls.

And I'm thinking this sign says ... "Really yummy food inside ... Welcome." I could be wrong ... Jenny had to give me a quick Korean restaurant etiquette lesson before we got there. She didn't want me to embarrass myself. Too funny!

 

 

A Few Things I'm Thankful For On This Turkey Day!

Just a few things I'm thankful for on this day, my favorite holiday ....Thanksgiving!

A football team, my son's football team, that practiced early this morning then came together for family photos.

For the young men that serve our country so that we can be together as family and friends and feel safe and protected.

For a football coach that, even at a public high school, believes in the power of prayer and understands the importance of faith and family.

And for my son Corry, who without us knowing, has been leading the team in prayer before all the team dinners.

For my husband who works harder than anyone I know, often in foreign countries, so that the rest of us have a roof over our heads and food on our table. 

For my dinner table that was set yesterday, ready for family and friends to arrive for dinner.

 For small little pilgrims that adorn our table each year, a cute set of salt and pepper shakers, a gift from my mother years ago. And the Navajo rug that I use as a table runner, yet another gift from my mother ... from her extended family.

From my family to yours ...Happy Thanksgiving!!!

Mason Jar Desserts: : Tutorial

With Sunday Supper @ Six, comes fun desserts that I love to experiment and play with. Oh sure, sometimes it's just s'mores, the old fashion way, and then sometimes it's individual desserts in mason jars!

First I tried the S'mores in a jar that I read about here. Looks so yummy and so easy to make.

The next Sunday I made an ice cream sundae with a chocolate chip cookie baked into the bottom of the mason jar. These were a HUGE hit with all the kids.

Here's what I did:

Chocolate Chip Cookie Sundae:

First I cleaned out the mason jars that were recently used to hold votive candles for my mom's 80th party, then I sprayed them with Pam.

Mixed up a batch of chocolate chip cookie dough ...

Spooned the dough into the jars and then placed the jars into a 9 x 13 inch pan, then added about 1" of water to the bottom of the pan.

Popped them in the oven and watched them turn golden brown and oh the smell ... there is truly nothing better!

After the cookies had cooled a little, I scooped out some vanilla ice cream and then topped it off with chocolate syrup! I had whip cream and cherries on hand but as it ended up ... this was the perfect combo, just the way it is!

S'mores In a Jar:

I changed up the recipe I saw on the Lark site and decide to use a store bought cake mix instead.

First I gathered and cleaned up the mason jars.

Next I sprayed the jars with Pam to keep the cake from sticking too much.

Next I mixed crushed graham crackers and then mixed it with melted butter and a bit of salt and pressed it into the bottom of the jars.

Then I mixed up the cake mix according to the directions on the package and then spooned it into the mason jars.

Before I put them in the oven, I place about a cup of water in the bottom of a 9" x 13" pan, then placed the jars in the pan, then popped them into the oven. (Notice the huge pans of baked zitti on the stove top. There was only a few pieces left over that night!)

As soon as the jars of cake came out of the oven, I stuffed them with 3 large marshmallows, then put them under the broiler for less that 30 seconds, just to toast the tops of marshmallow! After the jars sat for a few minutes, the marshmallows started to melt and became  gooey, yummy jars of heaven! Ok so .. truth be told ... If I do the s'more ones again I will swap the chocolate cake mix out for brownies!

So ... as you can imagine, the sky is the limit!

Just think ...

• Individual rhubard and strawberry cobbler with ice cream
• Brownies-a-la-mode 
• Ranger cookie with vanilla ice cream, raspberry sauce then topped with whip cream and pecans. (I may have to save this one for my Bible study group!)

 

Sunday Supper @ Six ... Come One, Come All!

A little over a year ago I started Sunday Supper @ Six. You see, back in May of 2010, when I was working on my first book, I realized that I had not been cooking much. In fact I had not cooked a hot dinner for my family in weeks. That's when I got this great idea to start Sunday Supper @ Six.

You see ... if I know people/kids are coming over for supper, I'll set the table, or at least put linens on the big picnic table in the backyard, plan the menu and even pick up the house a bit. 

It's basicly a come one come all for my kids and their friends. All I ask is that I get a head count about 3 hours before we eat. On some Sunday's I have as many as 17 teenagers laughing, telling jokes and being a really fun and funny group to be with. And yes, my husband and I sit and eat at the same table and I love it! They all call me ... Momma Shaffer!

Sometimes it's BBQ rib eye steaks with baked potato, salad and bread and sometimes I make my famous baked zitti. 

On this particular Sunday I decide to do a make your own pizza so I had a ton of toppings and each person got to load up there pizza dough with whatever they wanted.

Then I popped them into the oven and baked them in shifts. I had the kids write their names on a small piece of  foil so we could tell them all apart after they had baked.  Ok truth be told ... we  put some on the BBQ and they burned ... sorry Dylan and Tim!

And then at some point teams are formed and they either play a game of wiffle ball, which is hysterical, soccer which is brutal on my garden or shuffle board!

And finally ... dessert is served. 

More on the desserts I've been playing with in a later post ... but here's a sneak peek! 

 

Mushroom LOVE

Oh how I LOVE my mushrooms! My husband says I'm a mushroom hoarder ... I don't think I'm alone, at least not in my family ... My son Cameron can eat an entire bag of mushrooms, raw, without a blink of the eye!

These oyster mushrooms are so beautiful and the flavor is just so delicate.

 

Oh My ... have you ever seen anything so dang cute! They're called beech mushrooms and yes, I couldn't resist doodling on just a few of these little happy guys. 

And then there's the usual mushrooms that find their way into just about every scrambled egg breakfast I make for Cameron and myself.

Grilled them up with a few red and green peppers and onion and rolled it all up in a tortilla and topped it off with a little feta ... Yummy ...  dinner tonight!

If you're in the Old Towne Orange area on Saturday mornings, you'll want to check out the Orange Farmers and Artisans Market that just opened up at the old packinghouse on the corner of Palm and Cypress.

And ...go visit my favorite vendor ... the mushroom guy! 

Oh and you don't want to miss this ...

The farmers Market also has a Chef demo series ... Coming this Saturday, July 30th ... Chef Diego Velasco of Memphis at the Santora in Santa Ana! 

 

Just A Little Glimpse

 

The centerpieces were ready a few days ahead ...

 Mason jars with votive candles ...

 Antique linens were purchased at The Farm Chicks Antique Show ... 

Star crackers were arranged ...

And these fun little lanterns were lite as the sun started to set ...

More photos to come when I return from a mini vacation with my mom, sisters and niece!

Sushi Decorated : : It's What's For Dinner

So ... my kids always say ... "It's not fair that dad gets to eat sushi every night when he's in Japan." 

I say ... "He might be eating sushi every night, but I would bet you anything that it is not decorated like this sushi!"... Look what's for dinner tonight Corry and Cameron! 

Nori punched with craft punches ... little hearts, stars, mini leaves and large flower, decorating this beautiful fresh fish, avocado and rice ... Love fish! 

Oh ... and a caterpillar with nori antenna and polka dot punched skin ... Love him!

And then there's the lotus blossom with nori punched flowers and a marble size piece of lime green heaven ... Love wasabi!

California rolls and Philadelphia rolls on top of nori flowers ...

Hand cut birds sitting on nests of rice, avocado, and cucumber ...

Scallop punched nori doily with punched circles ... just because I can. 

No real tutorial needed here, but I did want to show you all the punches I used to decorate dinner.

Easy peasy ...

Here's a little tip I have ... keep the nori cool and dry, it can get soft and limp fast. I punched these decorations out a few days ago, then bagged them and kept them in the refrigerator until minutes before I served dinner. 

Oh and don't forget the chopstitck ... here's a shot of my collection ... oh, the red and green pencil ones ... they belong to my kids.

Hope you enjoyed dinner Corry and Cameron!

 

Tutorial : : Painted Treat Tins

Oh so pretty. The perfect tin to load up with Corry bars and deliver to friends and family.

Batch #3 is ready to go!

 

So easy and so sweet...transform random tins into handmade holiday gifts.

What to do...Gather random tins and lightly sand. YES ... Sand the tin lightly with sandpaper! This will allow the paint to stick really good!

Spray the tins with several light coats of Krylon indoor/outdoor paint (Here's a link on Amazon to buy this exact color spray paint)... while the top is still on!!! YES, YES, YES ... with the lid on! Here's the deal here ... I know there have been a few comments on the lid sticking ... the lid will not stick if you spray the tin with several LIGHT coats of paints. And yes, you will see a lip of the original tin color when you take the lid off. It's just gunna be that way. If you spray the bottom separately from the lid, chances are the lid will not fit back on the bottom AND the fumes from the paint will linger in the tin and make it unsafe for food! So, YES ... spray paint the tin with the lid on the bottom.

Give a few pages of old book text, a wash of gesso. There have been a few questions about gesso and what it is .... So this is what I know about gesso ... According to Wikipedia "Modern "acrylic gesso" is a widely used ground^[5] that is a combination of calcium carbonate with an acrylic polymer medium latex, a pigment and other chemicals that ensure flexibility, and increase archival life." So I use it here to just give the old paper a washed and white weathered look. I also like the tooth that it give the paper, which allows the stamped ink to stick.

Stamp words on the text and tear out. Punch snowfakes out from the gessoed text and glue onto the tin tops using just white glue. Here's a link on Amazon to a Letter and Number Roller Stamp ... Similar to the one I have, but not exact. The one I have was discontinued years ago.)

Load your tins up with Corry bars, or your family's favorite treat, and tie up the tin with a little hemp.

Peace, Blessings and Grace...

I hope I have answered all the questions that readers have had about this project! I apologize for being so vague ... I think I was in a hurry way back when and didn't realize then that this project would go viral and be so well loved! 

Best,

Cynthia

Vintage Handkerchiefs

Her name was Dorothy Shaffer (aka GG Dot to my children) and every single day she dressed in a skirt, sweater set, pantyhose, heels and of course a matching handbag with a fine handkerchief tucked inside. 

GG Dot passed away several years ago and one of the many things I inherited from her was her vintage handkerchief collection. 

The handkerchiefs are so beautiful and as you can see she loved color and variety. 

From bold patterns and delicate lace to the finest cotton with hand rolled hems, and everything in-between.  

While I will probably never carry these handkerchief in my purse, I sure do use them when I entertain.