I have always loved cooking. I love the look people get on their faces and the noises they make when they eat my food and enjoy it. Up until just a few years ago, I did not think much further on my food then making people full and happy. My boyfriend has worked in kitchens during different phases of his life and when he would cook or serve us dinner he would always plate it! This had never occurred to me before, yes when I eat out I always love the way food is presented to me and I know you eat with your eyes first, but I had never thought about taking that and using it in my home cooking.

I did a little thinking: why don’t we arrange our food at home to look nice? We eat at home over 90% of the month why not make it look more exciting? You spend time making it taste good why not put in the effort to make it look nice too? So that is exactly what I have been doing. I have found that it really doesn’t take a lot of time to do and I quite like the feeling of making a meal look and feel special on a daily basis. It looks more appetizing and gives me a smile even before I taste it. I am actually amazed by how much more appeal the food has just by making this little adjustment.

As you can see just by how the food is placed it gives it a look that is appealing and makes me feel fancy on a daily basis (and who could not use a little of that in your every day). I do not get very over the top with it but it is fun.

A few things that I have learned along the way:

Height is important. Height is what you want to go for. Think of it as Jenga with food. Layering the food in a way that it gets height on the plate. I tend to start with a starch like potatoes or rice. Then move on to the meat and top it off with the veggies.

Even with salads and pasta -- Aim to make foods look bigger, not smaller. Fluff up your salads, for example, instead of smoothing them down. Create a little cross-hatched stack of cooked asparagus instead of presenting it in one flat layer. Sauce can be a nice touch around the plate or in a pattern on the food. Use your creative touch and let it shine. The most important thing in cooking is color. You don’t want your food to all look the same. I always have a problem when making chicken and rice or potatoes. The colors are very close so I try to use a seasoning or sauce that will bring out a different color for you to look at.

I hope you try this little addition to your cooking and make every meal you make look just a bit more special!