If you have reached this page before reading my Appetizer page, you may wish to visit it to help you better understanding my philosophies of preparing and serving food. I believe food should be attractive and look appetizing. Further, I believe that you should put forth just as much effort in cooking for your family and yourself as you do for those church dinners, potluck lunches at work and get-togethers with friends. There are psychological advantages in doing so, as I explained. Garnishing your dishes, or "decorating your food," as I refer to it, is really not that hard or time-consuming, and it really doesn't require all that much imagination. For starters, just take a look at how food is presented in restaurants. See if there are things they do that you could do just as easily. You'd be surprised. I'll start with some simple things that you can try out, and later on I'll present some of the more advanced decorations. So get out your paring knife (you know, that little bitty knife that came with your knife set that you never use), and start practicing! Trust me on this, your family will be more than happy to serve as guinea pigs!

One of my favorite decorations is sugared fruit and flowers. This is one of the very easiest of garnishes. They look lovely on any dish, but especially with ice cream and other desserts. For fruit, you want to use berries, cherries or grapes. After washing the fruit, gently blot dry with paper towels or let air-dry on paper towels. Beat an egg white in a small bowl with a fork just until foamy. Brush the egg white onto each piece of fruit (for grapes, you can keep them in very small bunches if you like) with a paintbrush or pastry brush, coating all sides thinly and evenly. Place the fruit on waxed paper that has been covered with a thin layer of sugar. Sprinkle a light coating of sugar over the fruit with a teaspoon. If any areas are not covered, repeat layers of egg white and sugar. Let the fruit stand at room temperature until the coating is dry. Trim with small, non-toxic leaves if desired (mint leaves work great!).

You can do the same thing with edible flowers such as geraniums, roses, nasturtiums, violets and marigolds. You would want to be a little gentler when washing them, however, and you would need to use super-fine sugar instead of regular granulated sugar to sprinkle them with. It's best if you do the sprinkling with a sieve, as the flowers are much more fragile than the fruit.

Suggestions: At holiday time, spruce up tortes, fruitcakes or steamed puddings with a cascade of sugared grapes and cranberries. Trim a silver tray of elegant pastries with delicate sugared roses or geraniums. Serve individual portions of baked custard, mousse or rice pudding with sugared violets. Trim a tray of sliced cheese and smoked sausage with an assortment of sugared fruits.

Scored citrus slices are very easy to make, and make an attractive addition to breakfast dishes. Any citrus fruit will do (lemon, lime, orange or grapefruit). After washing the fruit, use a citrus stripper or the tip of a grapefruit spoon or knife to cut a groove in the peel, lengthwise from stem end to the other end. Continue to cut grooves about 1/2 inch apart until you've gone completely around the fruit. Remove the strips you have carved out. Place the fruit on a cutting board, and slice thinly crosswise with a paring knife. The slices come out with little wedges cut into the rinds.

Suggestions: A couple of scored lemon slices along with a sprig of fresh parsley makes an eye-catching garnish for your favorite fish. Trim a Waldorf salad or any other fruit salad by tucking a border of scored lime slices around the edge of the salad. To make a bowl of punch look party-special, float scored citrus slices in a citrus-based punch or sangria. Drop half of a scored orange slice into a mug and fill it with hot spiced cider -- wonderful on cold Winter days!

Cherry Flowers, made with maraschino cherries, are easy to prepare and add great color to dishes. Place a cherry on a cutting board, removing the stem. Cut into six wedges with a paring knife, being careful to leave the bottom third of the cherry uncut. Use the tip of the knife to gently pull the wedged cherry segments apart to resemble flower petals. If desired, place a piece of candied fruit or a small piece of fruit peel to the center of the flower.

Suggestions: Dress up a molded cherry salad by spooning a small amount of vanilla yogurt over each serving and centering a cherry flower on top. Add a hint of color to individual servings of rice pudding by trimming with a cherry flower and a small sprig of mint. For Christmas gift giving, drizzle your favorite homemade breads, coffeecakes or cookies with powdered- sugar icing. Decorate with red and green candied cherry flowers.

Candied Citrus Peel adds zest to many, many dishes, and can be used in a variety of ways. You can use any variety of citrus fruit you wish (lemon, lime, orange or grapefruit). Here we'll use a lemon. Wash and thoroughly dry a large lemon. Using a fruit peeler, cut long strips of peel from the fruit, going around it. You should get 4 or 5 wide strips. Place them on a cutting board and use a paring knife to scrape the insides of the peel to remove the white membrame. Cut the strips into very thin strips. In a small saucepan, combine an equal amount of sugar and water (about 1-1/2 cups of each for each whole fruit). Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon. Boil 3 minutes. Carefully add the lemon strips to the boiling mixture. Reduce heat to low and simmer 10 to 12 minutes or until the peel turns completely translucent. Place a strainer over a bowl and spoon lemon strips into strainer; drain thoroughly. Add a couple of tablespoons of sugar to a small plastic bag. Add drained lemon strips to bag, seal, and shake bag until strips are coated evenly with the sugar. Remove strips from the bag, and place on waxed paper to dry completely.

Suggestions: Tiny strips of candied citrus peel are the perfect topping for Irish coffee, cappuccino, espresso, and hot or cold tea. When serving cake with a citrus filling, add some zing by trimming the top with strips of candied citrus peel. Spoon apple or blueberry crisp into dessert dishes, nestling a strip of candied citrus peel along the edge of each one. Sprinkle candied citrus peel on top of lemon meringue pie before serving.

Strawberry Fans are one of my very favorite, and prettiest, garnishes. Wash your strawberries, leaving the tops intact. Place a strawberry on a cutting board with the pointed end facing you. Using a paring knife, make 3 to 5 lengthwise cuts (depending on the size of the strawberry) from the pointed end of the strawberry not quite to the stem. Fan the slices apart slightly, being careful to keep all the slices attached to the cap. Put on plate or food to secure into position.

Suggestions: Strawberry shortcake is made extra-special when it's sporting a dollop of whipped cream and a strawberry fan. Cream puffs, eclairs or neopolitans are made all the more irrestible by tucking a strawberry fan or two at the base of each pastry as you serve it. Top a fresh strawberry shake with a small dollop of whipped cream and a strawberry fan. I always top my fruit-and-yogurt breakfast parfaits with strawberry fans.

Citrus loops are very easy, and a very sharp utility knife helps. Place a lemon, lime, or orange on a cutting board, and cut crosswise into thin slices. Cut each slice in half crosswise. Carefully cut each half between the peel and the fruit with a paring knife to loosen the rind, cutting only about 3/4 around the inside of the peel. (Fruit should remain attached to about 1/4 of the length of the peel.) Carefully curl the free end of the peel under, tucking it up against attached part of the peel.

Suggestions: Fill individual prepared meringue sheels with lemon pudding. Top with a dollop of whipped cream and a lemon loop. At your next dinner party garnish the edge of each water glass with a citrus loop. Serve Crab Louis on lettuce-lined salad plates trimmed with a trio of citrus loops.