Preparing Appetizing Food Trays

Using a little imagination you can make great looking food trays for everyday, for parties, special occasions, or even food tray gifts.

Whether its a get together for an every day dinner or a party you can jazz up your food trays with something as simple as sliced tomatoes or thinly sliced lemons or oranges. Fresh sprigs of herbs such as parsley, basil or rosemary make an aromatic and beautiful food tray frame by placing the food on the bed of herbs or placing the herbs around the food items. A single radish or two sliced can add some vivid red and white making even the simplest food more appetizing. Look around your kitchen if something isn't as fresh as you'd like it to be it might make a great garnish. you can revive wilted leaves by soaking in ice water.

Trays of Sweets Gifts of Sweets For food trays of sweets such as candy or cakes,, simply place curls of ribbon single color or several colors (for this reason I save little snips of leftover ribbon to decorate trays it really makes them pop and costs nothing) You can even take ribbon and wrap the strands from side to side so the food is placed on top of the ribbon. It adds great color and changes the look of a tray. To change the look even more, cover it with wrapping paper or aluminum foil.

If it's a "theme" such as birthday party, baby shower, bridal shower, Superbowl party or World Series party, simple things like incorporating the colors of the teams playing or the honored birthday or shower celebrants favorite things or colors can be incorporated on the food tray. Use a little innovation if you don't have figurines print out pictures and stick them on popsicle sticks or toothpicks on the tray. Makes for a conversation piece and sure puts smiles on faces.

Halloween can be fun and colorful. Set the mood from spooky to creepy by incorporating things that fit the mood, spooky can be simple additions of figurines like witches or pumpkins to the tray or "spook them up" with ghosts made of marshmallows. Make the tray colorful with accents of colorful candy corn or pieces of curled black and orange ribbon or the hottest "new colors" for Halloween which are lime green and purple... a simple white tray absolutely pops with orange and black curling ribbon curls. Try it its instant Halloween.

Thanksgiving can be absolutely simple and elegant or fun or a mixture of both. You can very simply add candy corn for color or you can incorporate nature by collecting, cleaning pine cones, twigs and leaves or simply put pumpkins (large and small) or gords or a variety of nuts such as walnuts, pecans and hazelnuts or acorns. You can "seal" the pine cones, twigs and leaves with food safe sealants from craft stores or simply use non toxic glue to add shine. You can also just clean really well with soap and water, Leaves can be used but they must be thoroughly cleaned you don't want to introduce bacteria or critters to the tray (washing gently in sudsy water or soaking in vinegar water and wiped clean) plastic leaves called culinary leaves, are easier and fairly inexpensive and colorful and can be reused - if you're careful.

Christmas if you have plastic Christmas ornaments such as Christmas balls or angels or figurines they add color and theme to a party tray.The Christmas holiday season brings a lot of opportunity to get colorful garland and decorative sprigs.Pick a theme color or go with a mix of color.

Hanukkah miniature menorah or dreidle are what are in your household try seeing how you can incorporate them into the display. A chalice, candles all add pizazz and meaning.

Tip: Make sure items you place on your food trays are clean and not peeling! place the items on the tray around the figurines, garland,sprigs and ornaments. Makes for a lovely tie in to the holiday celebrations!

Easter is especially fun because of the colorful plastic eggs and grasses, cheerful chicks, ducks and bunnies. For adding spiritual meaning, crosses and figurines. The trick is not to keep the plastic grass out of the food..

Valentines Day hearts and laces, ribbons, cupids. Colorful candy hearts can dress up a tray in seconds.

If these ideas have been helpful in sparking creativity for making or incorporating home made with store bought items this is a resource for more ideas homemade gifts.