Hare Krishna
When one first enquires of Krsna.. there may be many reasons why, for me... the attraction to a picture of Krsna was one of the first... so at the very beginning.. I guess it is ok to use a picture of Krsna.. ( if that is all you have ).. for devotional service in your home.

Attraction to the Radha- Krishna Deities will soon follow.. it is recommended to worship the deities... they are Krishna.. in a material form here on earth for us to worship.
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Guests visiting a temple for the first time are often puzzled by the ceremonial offering of vegetarian dishes to the form of Krishna on the altar- and understandably so.
After all, what does the omnipotent, omniscient, omnipresent Lord want with our little plate of rice and vegetables ? Has He suddenly become hungry ?
Hasn't He created countless tons of food ? Isn't God self- sufficient ? Does Krishna really need these offerings of food ?
In fact, Krishna does ask for these offerings, not because He needs our rice and vegetables, but because He wants our devotion.
In the Bhagavad-Gita (9.26) He says, ''If one offers Me with love and devotion a leaf, a flower, fruit, or water, I will accept it."
When Krishna asks us to offer Him food, we should understand that He is actually inviting us to reawaken our eternal loving relationship with Him.
At first we comply in a mood of faith mixed with duty; later; as our realization matures, we do it with affection and love. Just as anybody naturally offers the best he/she has to his/her beloved, the devotee offers Krishna his/her wealth, intelligence, his/her life, and vegetarian food.

Offering food to Krishna

First, reserve a special plate for the offering. It can be a tabletop or an entire room converted into a temple.
Make an altar with a picture of Lord Krishna on it.. and or a picture/photo of the Radha Krishna deities... on Krishna's left is Srimati Radharini, His eternal consort. She is Krishna's pleasure potency, and it is She who awards love of Godhead to the sincere devotee.
If possible, put a photograph of a Krishna conscious spiritual master on the altar.. ( I also put flowers on the altar ).. The spiritual master accepts the offering of his disciple and offers it to his own spiritual master, who in turn offers it to his spiritual master. In this way the offering ascends through a succession of spiritual masters, until it reaches Lord Krishna.
Since I do not yet have a spiritual master from initiation, I use a picture of dear Srila Prabhupada.. as is the only way I can see how to follow the principles.
So one can see how very necessary it is to find a spiritual master.

The devotees of the Hare Krishna movement always have a photo of Srila Prabhupada, the founder of ISKCON, and if a devotee is a disciple of one of Srila Prabhupada's disciples, he/she also has a photo of his/her own spiritual master.
A Krishna conscious spiritual master who is visibly present in this world can personally guide you to perfection in spiritual life.

From the shopping, to the cooking, meditate on pleasing Krishna. Look for the best fruit and vegetables... If one is unsure of animal products in food, it's best to stick with vegan food, until you are positive that what you are using is 100% vegetarian... avoid gelatin, rennet, lecithin ..(unless soy) and anything with onions and garlic.
If a product has a blank label.. don't buy it !

Now you are ready to cook for Krishna.

The cook thinks about Krishna's pleasure, not his/her own.. and thinks "My Lord has kindly provided me with these ingredients, so let me combine them in such a way that He will be pleased."
Chanting the Hare Krishna mantra or listening to devotional recordings helps to remember Krishna.. and also avoids mundane talk in the kitchen.

**Cleanliness in next to Godliness. The cook should have a clean mind/thoughts, wear clean clothes, hair tied back if needed, make sure everything is spotless in the kitchen before you start to prepare the food for offering.
"Krishna will accept a very simple offering from a clean kitchen", Srila Prabhupada said," but He will not accept an elaborate offering from a dirty kitchen."
** Prasada ( food already offered ) and bhoga (food not yet offered) are never mixed. We do not want to offer Krishna the same thing twice.. keep the two in separate containers.

** The cook never tastes the food before offering it-not even to test it. Krishna must be the first to relish it.
If something is taken before being offered.. the entire preparation is polluted and can no longer be offered.

**When the meal is ready, it is time to offer it to Krishna ( on that special plate that nobody else eats off ) the rest of the food stays in the pots until the offering is finished.
Put a small (special) glass of cool water by Krishna's plate, along with a spoon and tiny plate with a little salt and pepper. You may also light one or two sticks of incense to provide a pleasant atmosphere.
After putting the plate on the altar, recite the Hare Krishna mantra:
Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare
Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare
Repeat this mantra three (3) times.. it is a prayer: "My dear Radharani and Krishna, please engage me in Your devotional service."
The more our consciouness is fixed on pleasing Krishna, the more He enjoys the offering.. it is our sincerity that attracts Krishna.
**After the offering, remove Krishna's plate from the altar and transfer the prasada to a serving plate. Wash Krishna's plate and bowls and put them away. Now the prasada can be served, the prasada that comes directly from the Lord's plate is called maha-prasada (maha means "great", prasada means "mercy") and is extra special. The person serving should see that everyone gets some maha-prasada.
** The proper mentality for eating prasada is described by Srila Prabhupada in the Sri Chaitanya-charitamrita: "Prasada is non-different from Krishna, therefore instead of eating prasada, one should honour it... it is not an ordinary preparation of food.
Prasada means favor. One should consider prasada a favor of Krishna. Krishna is very kind, as tastes many nice foods and offers it back to His devotees... by eating prasada one makes advancement in spiritual life.. ordinary food is not on an equal level with prasada."
In other words, if while eating, one thinks of prasada as a manifestation of Krishna's mercy, he/she is considered to have actually stopped eating, now eating has become honoring.
By thus honoring Krishna, who has come in the form of prasada, one pleases Krishna, and when Krishna is pleased His devotee is pleased.

This is real yoga, linking with the supreme Lord, the simple process of offering food makes us aware of an essential teaching of the Vedas: everything comes from Krishna, and everything should be offered back to Him for His pleasure.
So everyday when you cook, cook for Krishna and offer the food to Him. Before long, your home will start to feel like a temple, and you will be well on your way home.. back to Godhead.

Please do not put any remnats of prasada in the rubbish, or in a bin of any kind.. it is sacred.. feed it to the animals.. put it in the ocean or river, or bury it in the earth.

There are other prayers that are used, though if you are new to offering food.. the recitation of the Hare Krishna mantra is the easiest method.. to begin with.

I am happy to give any further information anyone requires, or answer any questions to the best of my knowledge.
Please purchase The Hare Krishna Book of Vegetarian Cooking (by, Adiraja Dasa ).. most of this information, also a beautiful picture of the Radha-Krishna deities.. which can be used on your altar.. and lots more, is in this wonderful book

I hope it helps !

Your humble servant.. Billy :)

Hare Krishna

Thank you, Billy,
This is very nice the way you've described what you do and how... thank you.
Hopefully some other devotees will also share what they do... so we can get more input about this....
That's interesting what you're saying about Prabhupad because I was really wondering how that works for people who have not yet taken initiation....
Thank you,
Navasi

www.backtohome.com.

Hare Krsna