Presentation Is Everything

Tableware is one of the most important things in entertaining. It is what you use to present your food, and even if it is store bought, you want it to look good.

When my husband and I were registering for our everyday place settings, we wanted something neutral, but not white, and could be used for both a casual dinner or a festive dinner party. And then we found Vera.... Vera Wang for Wedgwood, two amazing companies who know about table style and presentation, have teamed up to create the stoneware Naturals line. We chose the Leaf color as our set, which you can see in my recipes and above, is almost khaki with a hint of green. The more we use it, the more we love it, and the way all our food looks on it too!

The point is, your everyday dishes should be versatile and presentable, in the fact that you will use them daily for EVERYTHING. White is classic, and while this was my first choice for tableware, we decided to be just a little different. Also, my mother had always LOVED the Fiesta Dinnerware, and after 25 years of marriage and boring plates, decided to ditch her old place settings and splurge for all her favorite colors of Fiesta. She just loves how the vivid colors of the plates really bring food to life. Since ours are neutral, I love to incorporate other colors into our dinner presentations. As you may recognize from pictures, we have red bamboo plates, and orange baroque plates from Pottery Barn. I am also a HUGE fan of Nora Fleming's line of off-white dishes with "mini's" to decorate for any occasion.

No matter what you are cooking and serving, always remember that presentation is a dish's first impression. You want to be sure to serve it on something that you love as much as the food itself.

Photos courtesy of Wedgwood, Nora Felming, Pottery Barn, and Homer Laughlin China Company.