Atlanta and Company x How To Eat Your Favorite Foods!

One of my earliest memories of being held accountable for proper table and dining etiquette dates back to the ripe young age of nine and my fabulous (and greatly beloved) fourth grade teacher.  In between managing our homeroom, being hands-on with her students, and silencing the childish noise in French (yes, French), she made valuable use of our lunch periods by making social graces a priority.  That, coupled with ongoing reinforcements on the home front, left me especially fond of etiquette in its many varieties all these years later.

And so, several years ago, I created my How To Eat series here on DMRFF to share quick and fun dining tutorials for some of our best beloved foods.  The results?  Better dining finesse (a.k.a. confidence) and a higher etiquette I.Q.

And then the most wonderful thing happened...(drum roll, please) and last week I appeared on the long-standing and uber popular daytime show, Atlanta and Company, sharing some of my How To Eat wisdom on pasta, bacon and bread and butter.  (Can you say, awesome?!)

In case you missed it, you can watch me here.  And be sure to check the archives for even more foods in this fun series!

Happy Eating!

All Things Thanksgiving: Recipes, Guides, Tips & More!

Today marks the one week countdown to one of, if not the, biggest holidays of the year--Thanksgiving!

With all that has occurred (and continues) to happen in our world, there's never been a better time to pause and give thanks for the gift of life and the many blessings it affords.  And to make sure you're all set, I'm sharing my favorite recipes, tips, inspiration and more for your best one yet. 

Countdown and Six Step Guide to A Stress- Free Thanksgiving

Turkey Love: Prep Tips

All About Pie

Etiquette--(Including How To Eat Turkey, Chicken and Duck)

Tablescape Inspiration

And Much More! 

Happy Eating! 

Travel Etiquette 101: 3 Steps for Making Every Journey a Success

More than a list of do's and don'ts, etiquette, at the core, is about consideration, courtesy and respect.  And while you may not be able to master the varying customs and norms of every culture, the universally guiding principles of good manners (also known as the golden rule) will carry you far and leave you in good (social) graces.

So wherever your travels take you next, remember to bring along these simple travel etiquette tips for a successful journey.

• Smile!  A smile can hardly ever be interpreted as anything other than warm, friendly and welcoming.  It's an indispensable asset for establishing positive connections.  

• If traveling abroad, learning a few basic words or phrases in the local language will both endear you to the locals and enhance your connection.  It's a small sign of respect that will take you far and garner the willingness of others to help you, ultimately making your experiences more rewarding.

• Relax and remain open to learn new things!  Each journey should enrich your cultural and social I.Q.    

With these tips in tow, being a great global citizen will be easier than ever.

Happy Travels!

This post originally appeared on TravelistaTV.

{What I Wore}: Labor Day Whites

The Labor Day weekend was a relaxing one for me and a much needed pause in the busy pace that life has a way of serving on a full platter.  Now that it's come and gone, you may be considering pulling the curtain on the Summer season once and for all.  But not so fast, I caution.  There's still great Summer food, style and entertaining to be relished, and I, for one, plan to savor each remaining day until the Fall season officially makes its debut.

I donned a basically all white everything (shoes excepting) look to go about my Labor Day festivities in what I'd refer to as a street-chic style.  (I know that Labor Day and white attire--specifically post-Labor Day white--have long been hot topics.  Do we? Don't we? Who cares?)  If you're interested in where the current sentiment on this once deemed 'fashion faux pas' lies, here's a read I think you'll appreciate.

As for my actual Labor Day look, white was the color of the moment.  And now that the moment has passed...I'm looking forward to the many beautiful moments still to come.

Details: Tory Burch Tee + Cuff | Paige Denim Jeans | Manolo Blahnik Pumps | Michael Kors Watch + Wrist Band | J. Crew Necklace

Happy Living!

HOW TO EAT: Lobster

Photo: Saveur.com

I remember how "special" lobster was growing up.  In my world, it was the extra fancy, super special occasion, deep pockets, type of food that remained largely elusive until my early adult years, unless you count the time, during my college days, that Nikki Giovanni (yes, the Nikki Giovanni, poet extraordinaire) shared some of her lobster with me at the local Red Lobster before her speaking engagement at the University later that evening.  (I guess that falls in the super special occasion bucket.)

Beyond that indelible memory, however, it would be a while before my food passion would lead me to embrace lobster in all its glory.  I'd venture to say it's still a delicacy by most accounts, but these days it doesn't require a big ta-da or fancy restaurant to enjoy this seafood royalty.  Instead, lobster can be found amping up favorites like risotto, pot pies and mac and cheese, in lobster rolls, as a bisque, or simply boiled and served on its delicious lonesome (with melted butter, of course.)

However it comes, the best thing about lobster, without question, is eating it!  And our latest "how to eat" installment serves up another easy tutorial for enjoying every last bite of this crustacean, along with a couple of must-try recipes to bring lobster into your kitchen.

Happy Eating!

Eating Lobster:
First crack the claws with a nutcracker.  Then extract the meat with a seafood fork, dip it in butter or sauce, and eat.  Cut large pieces with a fork.  Pull off and clean the small claws, sucking on the ends as if you were drinking through a straw.  Stuffed lobster and hardshell crabs are eaten with a fork and knife.

Best Ever Lobster Roll

Grilled Lobster with Garlic-Parsley Butter

HOW TO EAT: Bacon

It's been a while since we shared our last "how to eat" installment, so I'm excited to bring another favorite to the dining and etiquette table.  

Everything is better with bacon, the saying goes.  And if that's your motto, then this latest tutorial is just for you.  Bacon is one edible that effortlessly finds its way into almost any meal--whether we're talking breakfast, lunch, dinner or even dessert, on occasion.  The smoky and somewhat salty bite adds its undeniable signature to everything from salads to burgers to seafood (think bacon-wrapped scallops) to popcorn and much more.  

So here's to that delectable bite...and to Happy Eating!

Eating Bacon
Eat with a fork and knife.  Only very crisp bacon may be eaten with your fingers.
Photo Credit

Stick a Fork In It! {The Right Fork for Every Course}

Dining in style = dining with confidence.  And nothing spawns confidence when dining quite like knowing your way around the table -- including the array of flatware that can loom ominous and downright confusing.  

As fork etiquette goes, however, not to fret.  This enchanting work from Julia Rothman lays it all out in splendid and colorful detail.  Armed with this piece as your reference, you'll never have to hesitate to stick a fork in it ever again!

Happy Eating!

HOW TO EAT: Shrimp

Similar to a painter's canvas that's open for interpretation, shrimp is a food that lends itself perfectly to the cook's tastes, easily taking on flavors, and can be enjoyed in seemingly endless preparations.  So, is there any wonder that questions about how to eat them exist?  Tail on? Tail off? With, or sans, knife and fork? By hand? And on and on they go.  

To help take the mystery out of proper noshing of this favorite ingredient, we're offering up the latest installment in our how to eat tutorials.  And to ensure you have the opportunity for lots of "practice", we're tossing in a couple of our favorite recipes for the best in shrimp eats. 

Enjoy and Happy Eating!  

Eating Shrimp

Cocktail shrimp are eaten with a seafood fork.  Eat large shrimp in two bites.  If the tails have been left on, hold the shrimp by the tail with your fingers.  Dip in sauce, bite off, and discard the tail.

Creole-Spiced Shrimp 

Linguine with Shrimp Scampi 

  

Tea and Travel: Global Tea Etiquette

Before you set off on your next travel adventure, brush up on your global tea etiquette with this fun guide that I discovered on Pinterest and prepare to sip away!

Happy Sipping!

Source: Uploaded by user via Dawn on Pinterest

HOW TO EAT: Corn on the Cob

I think we can all agree that BBQ season is officially here!  And there's nothing that screams BBQ fare quite like corn on the cob.  Whether you enjoy it grilled, roasted, slathered in your favorite compound butter, or all on its natural, sweet lonesome, it's undeniably an all-around favorite for those casual, yet scrumptious, menus that we love to serve when the heat is on.

And in today's how to eat installment, we're putting this yummy bite front and center with a quick and fun tutorial on the best (and proper) way to devour your corn. 

Enjoy...and Happy Eating!

Eating Corn on the Cob

Butter and season several rows at a time, not the whole ear at once. Hold the ear firmly with both hands and eat.  Corn is served only at casual meals.
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HOW TO EAT: Tortillas

Photo: Cooking Channel

The thought of warm tortillas filled with all kinds of goodness always brings a smile to my face.  A staple in one of my favorite cuisines, Mexican, they serve as the perfect bed for almost anything you can dream up and pair well with favorite meats, as well as in vegetarian preparations.

With Cinco de Mayo celebrations preparing to kick-off,  I'm excited to share our latest "how to eat" tutorial on this delicious Mexican staple that yields itself to great recipes--and just in time for the party!     

Happy Eating!

Eating Tortillas

Place plain tortillas flat on your hand or plate.  Fill, roll up, and eat from the end.  Baked tortillas covered in cheese and sauces are eaten with a fork and knife.

HOW TO EAT: Eggs

The incredible, edible egg!  This small wonder is the base for some of our most beloved dishes and equally delectable all on its own.  Whether we're talking souffles, omelets, frittatas, poached, hard-boiled or deviled varieties, and more, it's true that eggs are all around superstars in the world of good eats.  

While vacationing recently, I enjoyed eggs almost every morning for breakfast, so you could say I've had "eggs on the brain" for the last little while, and I'm excited to feature them in our latest "how to eat" series.  In addition to our dining tutorial, you can up your egg game by diving into Bon Appetit's Egg Primer for great recipes, tips, videos and more on the fabulous egg!

Happy Eating!

Eating Eggs:

Eat hard-cooked eggs with a fork.  To eat soft-cooked eggs served in an egg cup, slice off the cap with a knife and eat directly from the shell with a spoon.  Soft-cooked eggs may also be scooped out of the shell into a small dish and eaten with a spoon. 
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HOW TO EAT: Potatoes

Potatoes are undisputed comfort food.  Whether you're enjoying them baked, mashed (somehow everything seems better with a bowl of luscious, mashed potatoes), roasted, fried--my personal favorite--or any other way you want 'em, there's so much to love.  

Potatoes bring heft to dishes like soups and stews, pair well with most poultry and meat, and can even stand on their own as main courses.  Beyond their yumminess factor, potatoes also offer up healthy doses of nutrition, such as the Vitamin A and beta-carotene laden sweet potato.  And the affordability of potatoes make them a staple in almost every kitchen.

So with all this goodness surrounding them, I'm excited to feature these versatile spuds in today's installment of our "how to eat" series.  Enjoy the tutorial and let me know your favorite way to enjoy potatoes.

Happy Eating!

Eating Potatoes:

Eat baked potatoes from the skin with a fork, and then eat the skin with a fork and knife.  Add butter by taking some from your butter plate with your dinner knife.  Do not mash potatoes on your plate.  French fries are halved and eaten with a fork.  Eat chips and shoestring potatoes with your fingers.  

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HOW TO EAT: Sandwiches

There are sandwiches to suit almost any occasion--whether you're hosting a tea party or rooting on your favorite sports team or something in between.  And no matter the occasion, you'll want to know how to eat 'em!  

Here enters our latest "how to eat" installment; a simple, quick tutorial that will have you at your sandwich savvy best.

Happy Eating!

Eating Sandwiches

Tea-type sandwiches and canapes are eaten with the fingers.  (A canape is an appetizer consisting of a piece of bread or toast or a cracker topped with a savory spread.)  Club sandwiches may be eaten with a fork and knife or cut into fourths and eaten with the fingers.  Open faced sandwiches should be eaten with a fork and knife.

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HOW TO DRINK: Water

With the resolutions for healthier living and eating that abound this time of the year, water is sure to be the beverage of choice for those on a serious mission.  And with the upside-only benefits that this liquid powerhouse brings to the table, is it any wonder?  Probably not.  What may be of wonder, however, is that there is a proper way to drink it.

With water (hopefully) on everyone's minds--and in everyone's mouths--more and more lately, I thought now would be the perfect time to introduce it into our "how to eat" series, although today's installment is more accurately titled "how to drink".  

So before your next refill, learn more about this precious resource--how to drink it, that is.

Happy (Water) Drinking!

Drinking Water

Blot your mouth before taking a drink.  Do not drink water while food is in your mouth, roll water around your mouth, or swallow loudly.  If you have taken too hot a mouthful of food, sip a bit of water.  Do not forcefully drain an entire glassful. Hold a tumbler-type glass near the bottom, a small stem glass by the stem, and large goblets at the bottom of the bowl.

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Table Setting Etiquette: How To Set (and Navigate) a Proper Dinner Table

As we start the New Year, I thought it would be a good idea to let you in on a little secret:  I have a "thing" for social graces--i.e. manners and etiquette.  For DMRFF regulars, this probably doesn't come as much of a surprise, but I wanted to put it out there, nonetheless, for my long-time and new readers, alike.  Now that my "secret's" out, I hope you can appreciate my passion for making your dining and entertaining experiences more pleasurable.

More than lists of do's and don'ts, at the heart, etiquette is a thoughtful consideration of others.  In fact, my most simple translation boils down to "doing unto others, as you would have them do unto you."  With that said, observing the rules of social engagement, including dining, is something to be appreciated, because, when done in earnest, it (typically) leads to a more civil and enjoyable experience for all.   

Sometimes a picture is worth a 1000 words.  And I think the above diagrams of both formal and informal place settings are great tutorials.  Log them as reference guides and refer to them as often as necessary to keep you sharp.  They're also great learning tools for teaching children the basics of table place settings.  

More than anything, though, just relax and go with the flow.  If someone grabs your bread plate by mistake, follow suit and take the one next to you.  The rotation will make its way around the table and everyone will receive a bread plate, without any embarrassment or hurt feelings coming into play.  It's the gift of good manners.  And the gift that keeps on giving. 

Happy Eating!

HOW TO EAT: Sauces

I'm an undisputed sauce girl!  And when I come across a sauce that I like, "more is more" is the mantra that applies.  Sauces done right carry the perfect nuance of flavor and can elevate dishes single-handedly.  Whether it's salty fish sauce, tangy hot sauce, smoky barbecue sauce, decadent gravy, or any other scrumptious, sauce-y concoction, when you indulge, it's the best thing ever.  At least for me, anyway.

My latest tutorial in our "how-to-eat" series gives us the simple rules of the road for enjoying all things saucy. 

Happy Eating!

Eating Sauces

Sauces may be poured over or beside meat.  A forkful of food at a time may be dipped into the sauce.

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HOW TO EAT: Chicken, Duck and Turkey

If ever there was a season for all things poultry, this is it.  And I, for one, couldn't be more thrilled!  Whether you're talking fried chicken, roasted turkey, Peking duck, or any other variation of these beloved eats, there is an excitement when they're on the menu.

Seasonally timed for your holiday meals, soirees--and beyond (think left overs), comes the latest installation in our "how to eat" series. 

Happy (Poultry) Eating!

Eating Chicken, Duck and Turkey
Eat with a fork and knife.  Fried chicken is only eaten with the fingers at a picnic or a casual family gathering.



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Potluck Etiquette

With the holiday season right around the corner, there's no better time to brush up on your etiquette--your potluck etiquette, to be exact. With the plethora of gatherings and parties that this time of the year brings, you'll surely have ample opportunity to put what you learn to work.

Potlucks are a great way to share food and fellowship--without the entire burden falling to the host/hostess--but is it entirely free form? Are there "rules" or considerations that we can adapt to help us be on our best potluck party-going behavior?

This video, featuring Peggy Post (author of Emily Post's Etiquette), gives some pointers on the dos, don'ts and whatevers of this often overlooked form of dining and entertaining. It's potluck--elevated!

Happy Eating!

HOW TO EAT: Pasta

If you've ever been guilty of cutting your noodles down to size or even using a spoon to assist in eating that universal delicacy known as pasta, then today's "how to eat" tutorial is just for you.

Beloved the world over, there are likely no shortages of ways people like to eat their pasta, and today we'll get you going in the right direction for some yummy--and proper--noshing.

Happy Eating!

Eating Pasta:

To eat spaghetti (or other long noodles), use your fork and separate a few strands.  Hold the tip of the prongs against the plate and twirl the fork around to gather the strands onto it.  Don't stir and don't use a spoon.  Even in Italy the use of a spoon is frowned upon except at very informal, family-style meals.  Small-sized pasta such as tortellini, ziti, and penne are eaten with a fork.



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