Rosemarie’s four year old granddaughter shows her chopstick skills to her grandparents. Adorable!
by Linda Reed
by Linda Reed
Rosa Parks changed the way of life in the United States on December 1, 1955. As a black woman she refused to give up her seat on a bus to a white man. After being arrested, she challenged her conviction and thus challenged segregation all the way to the Supreme Court.
Let’s just chat about how we can be kinder to one another. There are simple acts of kindness we can do every day.
It takes very little effort to leave someone else feeling better about themselves after having been in your presence. Try it. It works. We promise.
by Linda Reed
One year ago a magical day happened. Rosemarie Burns and K. Allen Pedersen became husband and wife. Several miracles were in place on November 29, 2014. There was a twenty-five year relationship reaching this special commitment day. The six-course formal dinner and wedding with close to 200 guests was organized in a month… including a three day trip the week of the wedding to Denver for the proofing/printing of “Which Fork Do I Use? Confident and Comfortable Dining”! And they were able to say their vows in front of their 90+ year-old parents – Allen’s dad, Arnt and Rosemarie’s mother, Stella. As a guest, you knew this wasn’t going to be your usual wedding when the bridal party, including the bride and groom, danced their way to the altar.
Their wedding was in a word ~ memorable. The night-time view of San Francisco from 32 floors up set a gorgeous backdrop. Elegant floral arrangements on the beautifully laid tables, artfully plated gourmet foods and wine, a great band, and longtime friends and family who had gathered from near and far to witness their vows was the perfect combination to celebrate who they are. Rosemarie and Allen are a couple who receive great joy when they are surrounded by those they love. Their goal is always for everyone to laugh and enjoy life with them.
On a personal note, Rosemarie and Allen are more than my business partners. They are both my family and friends. They have the biggest hearts and deserve all the happiness life can bring to them. From a distance, I say to them “may you be blessed with a long and happy marriage. Happy one year anniversary!”
My love to you both,
Linda
by Linda Reed
Twenty three years ago a vision was born to serve the community of Lane County, Oregon when the Festival of Trees benefit began. Businesses, large and small, have come together to mark 2015 as the year ground-breaking occurs for the Pete Moore Hospice House. The hospice house will fill an unmet need, providing top quality compassionate care at such a critical time for patients and families in a comfortable, home-like environment.
Co-author, Linda Reed, can be found upstairs at the Festival of Trees in Dickens Village (Valley River Inn) as one of the small business vendors selling their wares today and ending Sunday, November 29 at 5:00 pm.
by Linda Reed
…or, too old to make a difference. Let’s take the adventurous spirit of youth and the lessons learned of an older generation that can be shared with each other. What better place to start than with food and teaching children how to hold their knife and fork, or how to set the table and why it is important. (Why? Because someday they’ll go on a job interview and having good dining skills will set them apart from other candidates.)
Since today is the day after Thanksgiving, make finger sandwiches with leftover turkey. That turkey will just taste better when you use a heart-shaped cookie cutter to make the crustless bread. Pull out those rarely used, but beautiful China teacups and then have a “device free” dining experience. Those charming children can tell you about their “talents” and bring you up to speed about social media. Will you both remember the shared experience of time well spent together? We think so.
by Linda Reed
We have so must to be thankful for, don’t we? Perhaps Mother Nature is at work and you have beautiful snow to play in. Or, the warm sunshine is making an annual football game as much fun as you remember. Dirty knees and all.
Tip for today:
A host gift is a small token of your appreciation for being invited to someone’s home for dinner. Flowers are an easy gift to give, however, most people buy a lovely bouquet wrapped in paper. For the host receiving it, the lack of a vase causes them to stop what they are doing such as greeting other guests or stirring the gravy, then hunting for a vase that is the right size (and clean), cutting the stems…you get the picture. Give flowers in a vase. Your host will love you even more!
by Linda Reed
“Which Fork Do I Use? Confident and Comfortable Dining” rolled off the presses in Denver, CO with our graphic artist, Kathie Lee, and the two of us as witnesses to the birth of our baby. We have many friends and special family members who encouraged, critiqued, offered insightful hints to make changes when we thought we were finished, and celebrated with us as our four-year project breathed it’s first breath of life. Those friends and family deserve a big, heartfelt thank you for their contributions!
Special thanks go to four professionals who have worked with us in our Fork world. Kathie Lee, our graphic artist, is a friend as well as a talented and gifted artist. She has been with us from the beginning of our book development and is a valuable member of our “three musketeers” team. Paulette Burnard, our editor, added humor and crafted our words into sensible, crisp phrases. Anne Riccardi, our web designer, worked her magic (along with Kathie Lee) to create our beautiful website and to help us understand the logic of the web world. And, lastly our latest partner in Fork land, is Trina Kaye. Trina is a magical PR lady. She has held our hands on a few occasions and connected us to radio interviews, tv and print reviews. To each of you, we say THANK YOU!
by Linda Reed
We are big fans of the Food Network and the Cooking Channel. The chefs come up with inspiring menu ideas and methods. Being lifetime learners, we consider the hours wasted invested in watching these shows as part of our continued education.
Last week, as our friends “Ina, Bobby, Michael S., Katie, and Alex” were discussing the staple hors d’oeuvre of many households – the “deviled egg” – Alex gave us all a dining etiquette tip. She said “unless it is smaller than a quail egg, ladies eat the deviled egg in more than one bite.” Of course, they do! But, an excellent reminder. Thank you, Alex. And we love you too.
Back to the deviled egg for a minute…these happy little finger foods are just one of many traditional foods that happily say “welcome’ to your guests as they arrive. A few hors d’oeuvres before dinner is wise. (Especially since some of your guests will skip eating all day because they know what’s coming!) We firmly believe that as long as you have an assorted cheese platter with savory breads or crackers, maybe some Kalamata or garlic stuffed olives, slices of Soppresata (salami) and fresh or dried fruits ready to greet your guests along with a glass of bubbly – they’ll never say a word about dinner not starting on time. Bon appetit!
P.S. Deviled eggs are a must have hors d’oeuvre at Linda’s house…a nostalgic nod to her mother, Edith. It was the only hors d’eouvre she knew how to make. But it always said “there’s a fabulous dinner to come.”
by Linda Reed
Starting Tuesday night you’ll find co-author, Linda Reed, upstairs in the Dickens Village signing and selling copies of Which Fork Do I Use? Confident and Comfortable Dining. This annual event draws large crowds to see the beautifully decorated Christmas trees that will be auctioned off at the Saturday night gala. Gain inspiration from the designs of the trees and then wander upstairs for a chat with Linda. She’ll answer your questions about dining dos and don’ts, how to handle those awkward situations that always come up, and sign your book of course.
Location: Valley River Inn, Eugene, Oregon
Hours:
Wednesday: 9-6 pm
Thursday: 10-6 pm
Friday: 9-7 pm
Saturday 9-2 pm
Sunday 9-5 pm
by Linda Reed
You don’t have to be an adult to enjoy “Which Fork Do I Use?”…heck, it’s so user-friendly a child can follow the diagrams and set the table for dinner tonight! But, we’d like to thank the writer, Daniel Sutphin, of My Flourish Magazine for writing about our book.
This is the time of year when nervousness about dining starts to creep into a person’s mind. What if I get to the company holiday dinner, sit down and promptly capture the wrong napkin from my neighbor? Or, if I put my tasty dinner roll on THEIR bread and butter plate? Great way to impress – NOT.
“Which Fork Do I Use?” is loaded with practical advice throughout the book. Practical advice about dining, not financial advice or what dress to where tonight. Seriously, if a person purchased the book for the dining dos and don’ts alone, it would be well worth their investment.
Here is the “tip of the day” to dine like an adult…your bread and butter plate is the one on the left side of the place setting. Really.
Click here to read.