As has been shared before, when it’s just the hubby and me at home we most often eat dinner at the bar.
As informal as it is, I don’t use it as an excuse not to have an attractive setting. Candles or flowers, maybe a fruit bowl provide a simple decor.
Now, here’s my little secret….I don’t cook every single night. Sometimes the day has been too hectic and we order out in which case dinner comes to us like this. It would be very easy just to eat from the containers,
but even takeout deserves a little better.
For the soup, it’s a good time to use these Oriental themed blue and white bowls
and white will be the backdrop for the main course. No matter what’s for dinner, I think about what color dish best complements the food. If it looks good on the plate, it will taste better. At least, that’s my theory!
Just curious, what thought do you give your nightly table?
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Lulu's Musings 
I like to use different dishes, but I don’t worry about if it goes with what I cooked.
Everything looks good!
Thanks for linking to Let’s Dish!
It’s terrific! Love your dishware. We do this too. I always plate the take away foods too. I love the ambiance you created at he bar. Thank you for sharing at the Thursday Favorite Things hop xo
It also makes a wonderful eating experience. Love it!
Shhh, don’t tell, but we often eat on a tray in our lap in the living room so we can be by the fire.
The take out looks delicious on your pretty counter top setting. 😉
As long as you have a fire, that works for me.
i love it….it is just the “two of us” too….and we often eat at our bar too!….Take out always tastes better on pretty plates…I love what you did to make the dinner very special….It would be so easy to drag out the paper plates..but at the end of the day…when you have that special conversation with your “loved one”….it makes it more special looking at a pretty place setting!!…
I too cook each night but for years it was grab and go from any place my rig could pull over 😦
I like cooking but we do take out a few times a year New Years Eve, My Birthday 🙂 His Birthday
I spent 6 weeks at a campground and cooked each night on the fire no wonder I always have a man lol I would be SKINNY if I was single and ate out 🙂
Loved your post
Somehow I got hungry for Chinese food looking at your post, Lulu. We have a kitchen counter here but no leg space but cabinets underneath so we cannot eat thee but I would if I could. We bought a vacation home in FL (post before my last in case you want to see it) and it has bar stools so I can’t wait to start doing that too….Christine
Oh, forgot to mention I love those lovely tulips, we don’t have them around here. Your ambiance in your bar is fabulous, so modern and terrific looking!
FABBY
Uuuuh, that food looks too yummy! I love this kind of cooking, specfially if hubby cooks, which he does and loves to on weekends taht is, I cook the rest of the week, which I don’t mind. We are lucky gals, I love my hubs cooking! Wow, you were in Ecuador once…when was this? Anyway, my fav ceviche is the big conch one, they’re all great, actually! I also love all the garnishings they come with. Thank you for dropping by, sweet friend.
FABBY
Some good tips, Linda! The tulips are gorgeous. I could go for a crab rangoon and egg roll about now!
I am lucky — some would say spoiled — because my husband cooks every night. He loves to cook! That frees me to set the table. Our standard table setting doesn’t change much, except we always have fresh flowers from the grocery store, and those vary week to week. We have several sets of napkins that “go” with our everyday dishes, so that makes it easy!
Lucky….I’d say. My hubby can steam a lobster, grill chicken or steak and that’s about it. He does do dishes though.
Ambiance is everything! I often turn to Stouffer’s when I need dinner help and with the proper setting none’s the wiser! Your tulips would make any meal special anyway!
I love your “barside” supper! Beautiful and delicious.
We don’t have meals at every one of the tables I feature at BPM.:-) We often have supper in front of the TV!
What a lovely setting — and I agree. Just because there is the occasional night of take-out throughout the week, doesn’t mean that the meal can’t be presented in a nice fashion! And I love your tulips as well!! 🙂
Kenley
Lucky you!!! I am sentenced to cooking every night for the rest of my life…or so it would seem! We rarely eat out. My husband has to really watch his sodium intake AND he’s lactose intolerant, so it makes it hard to eat out very much. I enjoy cooking, but I sure would like it if at least once a week I could catch a break. I love it that you make the effort to create a little ambience with each evening meal. It sure makes the food – whether it’s filet mignon or McDonald’s filet o’ fish! – taste better!!! By the way…totally diggin’ your bar stools!!!
We eat at the table every night, but we always have breakfast in bed!! I love how you make take-out so special. What a perfect display for your food with the plain white plate and the pretty bowl. The display of tulips on the counter completes the look !!
Breakfast in bed….I love it. Who does the fixing?
You are inspiring. I do agree how food is presented does make it taste better. I am ashamed how many times we eat out of throw away. As you have shown with just a little effort and that’s the part I enjoy we can create a totally different mood. Thank you for your encouragement. I have gotten far too lax.
Little effort is the key here. You know, it really doesn’t take much, and I always feel a little better when what I’m eating looks “pretty”.
Well, I’m one of the few that cooks every night…but it is because we don’t have take out in our rural area. I do agree that food plated nice is a feast for the eyes.
I cook almost every night, but sometimes I just don’t have my act together at dinner so it’s great to be able to pick something up, generally something I don’t normally fix.
One of the advantages of living in a big city. 🙂
Looks company worthy to me! Dare I say romantic? You make take-out look pretty elegant, Linda.
Thank you. When you wimp out on cooking, you have to do something!
It’s fun to do a table a couple nights a week, and the rest of the time we eat at the kitchen island that we love. Love the floral arrangement!
Tulips have a way of arranging themselves, and I love how every day they change.
I love that vase!!! And don’t worry darling, none of us cooks every single night;) 😉
I’m glad you like the vase. I’ve had it for oh so many years, and it’s still a favorite.
Hi Linda, Being the “non-cook” that I am, we often have some kind of takeout, and I actually enjoy setting the table for these meals. No need to focus on groceries and cooking, so more time for the fun part of the meal–choosing the dishes! And I think a nice table makes all food better. Linda
I can see we are of like mind when it comes to the fun part!