Color Matters

Thanks to the skills of my daughter-in-law who is of Japanese descent, I have come to appreciate the beauty of the food dishes she prepares.  One part I find easier and easier to do is paying attention to color.  It can make a meal look so much more inviting.  Giving this extra bit of thought has also improved the taste of the meals prepared by me (finally!).

Here is one quick example.  Tonight I cooked spaghetti, drained it, and then mixed in spaghetti sauce with mushrooms.  In a separate pan, I cooked chicken, diced eggplant, broccoli slaw, and onion slices -- seasoned to my liking.  I then cut the chicken in strips and placed them back in with the vegetables.  Instead of mixing the spaghetti and chicken with vegetables together, I placed the chicken mix on top of the spaghetti.  The red background of the spaghetti sauce gives a nice contrast to the green and tan colors in the chicken mix.

My husband placed his side by side, which was also an appealing look.  Another variety would be to have the spaghetti in the middle with the chicken mix surrounding it -- or vice versa.

"Playing" with colors can promote imagination of a variety of ways to present a dish or meal.  It also breaks the monotony of the "same old, same old" cycle and gives the cook a little boost of pride.  Eat well, and eat enjoyably -- it's really quite simple!