The expression, "We eat with our eyes first" refers to how the food looks. When you serve the meal, you want the food to look appetizing. You want your family and guests to say, "Oooh that looks sooo good!"

You take the time to make your meal look and taste wonderful. Take a few extra moments to consider the dishes you're using and the table setting. After all, the serving ware and linens are the tablescape for your well-prepared meals.

One of the best ways to decide which tablecloth and napkins to use is to coordinate with your main dish. If you're serving turkey, earth-toned linens are ideal, but stay away from orange. The orange will make the roasted color of the turkey skin look dull. Instead try sage green, antique white, or creamy yellow. These colors will compliment the rich, dark brown of the turkey as well as the customary side dishes.

Because turkey dinners tend to have a spectrum of earth tones, white serving ware and dishes work well.

Serving spaghetti? A red-checkered tablecloth is a wonderful backdrop for spaghetti with toasted garlic bread and salad. The red compliments the sauce and the white brightens the bread and the salad greens.

Red plates can be great with spaghetti, but if you want to try something a little different, use black dishware with a white tablecloth. Use red serving ware. The red, black and white combination punches up the visual interest.

Trade the black out for green and your spaghetti dinner reflects the colors of the Italian flag.

A plain looking meal can be livened up, and taste better, if it's served up on a pretty table. A meal of roast beef, mashed potatoes and gravy, and green beans doesn't provide a lot of color or even much in the way of textural interest.

Liven this meal up with a rainbow of color. Use a striped tablecloth of summer colors. Each place setting gets a different color plate and napkin. Use a mix of colorful serving dishes and that ordinary meal turns into a feast.

What about those little late night snacks you share with your significant other after the kids are in bed? Do you just pile sandwiches on a plate and grab a bag of chips? Why not use a silver plate serving tray and pour the chips in a silver plate bowl? Don't you deserve a little luxury at the end of a hard day?

From the simplest sandwiches to the most elaborate holiday dinners, you want your meals to look as good as they taste. Take a few extra moments and dress up the table. Your family and friends will appreciate the extra attention.