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!

 

 

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! 

 

Smoothie Love!

My go-to breakfast for busy days ... fruit and veggie smoothies.

A couple of years ago I read a post on a blog that said you could attach a mason jar to the bottom parts of a blender and then just pop it on the blender and whirl and grind away.

In my smoothie this morning I have a collection of carrots, red cabbage, non-fat yogurt, a banana, a squeeze of honey, some non-fat milk and a few ice cubes. I Ran out of green grapes ... I read somewhere that the green grapes helps to neutralize the taste of the red cabbage. Oh well ... I love cabbage so I'll be all good.

Screw the top on tight and flip the mason jar over and then tap on the pulse button to grind and blend your smoothie.

And there you have it ...

A perfect energy drink for my busy day ... lots of project in the works!

Turning 80, Sparklers and Pie!

My mom's birthday party went off without a hitch thanks to the help of my sisters, niece and nephew. Here are just a few of my favorite photos of the night.

Here's my mom sitting and listening to friends and family members talk about her and her many passions. I can only hope to look half this good when I turn 80! 

Long-time friends shared favorite stories ...

My sister shared a bit about my mom and what it was like  growing up with a mom that was and still is on the go. She talked about the role model my mom has been to all of us girls, a women of passion and real compassion for the needy and less fortunate.

And then it was my mom's turn to talk ............ she kept is short and simple. 

And finally, pie was served. We had 9 different types of pie, all served with vanilla ice cream.

Can you guess which flavor pie was the favorite of the night and is my all-time favorite as well? Rhubarb! I LOVE IT!

 

I love this photo ... notice that this man was very smart and helped himself to a small slice of several different pies! Needless to say that at the end of the night, there was only a slice of peach pie leftover.

We had to hide this slice of rhubarb pie for my mom ... her favorite as well!

Happy Birthday again mom!

 

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!

Elmer's Craft & Tell Party

Who doesn't just love Elmer's glue. I mean really. Oh sure I have tons of fancy glues that do all sorts of special things, but I must admit that my go-to glue has always been Elmer's glue! 

When Jenny emailed to invite me to her Elmer's Craft and Tell, I was really excited to see what other products Elmer's has out there.

This is just a sample of some of the products that we all came home with. Funny thing, as I was setting these crafting supplies on my foam board to snap a quick photo, I realized that this board that I use all the time is made by Elmer's!

And here we are in Jenny's studio. As you can see, within no time, we were all busy crafting away. 

I actually came without any idea of what I would make, but decided that I would sit next to my friend Lorie and just do what she does. And as it would turn out ... lorie brought me a book to alter!

I started by cutting out a house shape. Loved cutting the cover with my new hot pink craft knife. Noticed the hot pink mat underneath.

Next I used Elmer's tacky glue to adhere scraps of paper and a little macrame trim to the side of the cover. ( More on my macrame and  Elmer's glue adventure in a post to come.)

Ok so ... I'm not an art journal-er at all, but I did like the Elmer's Painters Markers and have decided that this class/page is just first semester ... More to come on this page in the future as I explore this whole art journaling world.

So as I was sitting there chatting with lorie, she pulled out a few free motion stitched panels that she had been playing with. (Truth be told ... Lorie came to my house a few months back and took a private lesson on free motion stitching from me. After just a few hours, she was up and freely stitching ... super quick learner that one is!) 

And so, that fabulous flower on the first page of my journal is one that lorie made. So sweet of her to let me use it in my first art journal! 

 

It was so much fun to see what everyone was working on.

Tracy Schultz came with a plan ... she quickly covered some fabulous shoes with the NY subway map for her daughter Erin, living in NY.

Here's a spread from Cheryl's journal that she was working in ... Love the colors and texture. 

I'm thinking this is one of the pieces that Melody Nunez was working on. Very well thought out ans perfectly placed collage pieces.

And of course Jenny's little book with her minimal me style ... so cute.

Sarah Meehan working on some craft colored cards.

Here's Priscilla and Jenny showing off their "crafting helmets".

Jenny yakking it up in the kitchen with her adorable apron on.

And of course, last but not least, a true feast for both your eyes and your taste buds. Oh so yummy!

Many thanks to the good folks at Elmer's Glue for all the fun new and old products that we played with.

As you can see we had way too much fun

and oh the stories that were told ... so, so, very funny!

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!

 

Chocolate Bowls And Fruit : : Tutorial

On the third Wednesday of every month, my Bible study ladies meet for lunch. We are a mixed group of ladies: some are young with kids in diapers, some are very seasoned and wise, and some of us are right smack in the middle.

On a typical luncheon Wednesday we all pitch in and bring our assigned food item, but being that it is "Valentine's week" as my friend Darcy says, I offered to make and bring lunch for everyone today.

Beautiful chocolate bowls filled with fresh strawberries, blueberries and, of course, a few raspberries.

Not to worry, I also made a yummy chicken salad with red grapes and cashews to load up on fresh mini croissants, and stalks of blanched asparagus, marinated in an vinaigrette dressing, then wrapped with a stripe of pimento.

And as my mother taught me years ago ...

It's all about color, balance and presentation.

Tutorial:

Blow up balloons to be whatever size you want your bowl to be. Water balloons work the best.

Melt your chocolate according to the instructions on the bag. I always go with the microwave instructions.

Spray the balloon with Pam and wipe a little off, then dip the balloon in the chocolate. If your bowl is shallow, you may need to swirl the balloon around a bit.

Then let the chocolate harden on a foil lined cookie sheet. Hint: Before placing them down on the cookie sheet you may need to hold the balloon upside down for a minute or two to avoid all the chocolate from sliding down and forming a puddle.

When the chocolate is completely hardened, pop the balloon with a pin.

And there you have it ... fill and serve.

Oh, one last hint: When you lift the balloon off the cookie sheet, sometimes there is a hole in the bottom, just melt a bit more chocolate and patch up that hole.

As you can imagine, the fillings are endless ...

Brownie a la mode, oh my!

Corry Bars

My father's name was Corry, my son's name is Corry and these yummy bars are lovingly called "Corry bars."

For years and years, right around the holidays, my father would spend many evenings making these cereal bars. He would load up tins and hand deliver them to all his co-workers and collegues. 

My father never meet my son, but i did tell him before he died that I would name my first born after him and so...17 years ago today, my son Corry was born. 

No cake baking here, it's "Corry bars" for Corry's birthday celebration. Oh, and a tall glass of milk.

My father's tradition of loading tins with Corry bars and taking them to friends and family continues with my family...This batch of Corry bars is just the first of many to come.

Corry Bars

• 11 oz. semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 11 oz. butterscotch chips
• 1 C Karo light corn syrup
• 1 C creamy peanut butter
• 1 C granulated sugar
• 7 C Special K cereal

What you do: Combine the sugar and corn syrup in a sauce pan and heat until the sugar is melted. Take pan off the heat and stir in the peanut butter. Place the Special K cereal in a large mixing bowl and pour sugar/syrup/peanut butter mixture over and stir. Fold into a 9" x 13" pan and press down. Melt together the semi-sweet chocolate chips and the butterscotch chips and pour over the cereal. Let cool and cut.