tt-l gets fooled by reflective surfaces, high contrast etc....
often people blow the highlights in those circumstances.
this is a cheap fix, as opposed to buying an incident meter, or expodisc.

take the translucent white bodycap that came with your dslr.
take a 1 inch strip of white paper, and tape it across the cap with clear scotch tape. (ok to trim it to fit).

set your camera to manual (everything).
With the cap in front of your lens, hold your camera in front of a subject, pointed towards your main lightsource (incident reading for all those who've used a handheld meter), and press your a-el button to take a reading. set your white balance also.

get back to your camera position and snap a photo of your subject.

get back to me with your results. (my results are usually within a third of a stop underexposure, making this a usefull substitute for anybody that doesn't have a handheld incident meter)

if you liked it then it was right.
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I'd see improvements in using softer lightsource, but mostly would recommend this:
Whenever photographing something that is commonplace, Use absolutely flawless specemins.
Unless rot, mold, insects or other flaws are part of the story your trying to tell with your image, the food/flowers/produce should be perfect.

let me put it this way:

between Apple, Pentax, and Adobe, I've got no liquid assets.

Then factor in Gerri, and I've got:

the right to remain silent, anything you say can and will be used against you...
A volunteer position at Light Expressions.
What's mine is hers, whats hers is hers....

All joking aside, I wouldn't trust me with my money....anyways.

Got everything I need, except that 167hp bmw motorcycle....

I wonder sometimes if I got short changed on both counts...can't be sure though.
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Gwyn, that is an excellent shot!
btw, we don't say:
Repeat after me:
"Which I drew INSPIRATION from"

could have some fun, stacking all your dolphin shot together, in a layer stack, then masking off different parts of each layer.

IE blues & purples in the dolphin, whites on the crest of the wave, blues and greens in the water.

The dice, are there, but why? there's no real holding power...for me anyways.

I'm going to clarify that dice comment a little more:

suppose the dice had all sixs facing up, and a yahtzee scorecard on the background....then it would tell a story, as opposed to just being a nice shot.

or three sixs and some glowing red eyes in the background...