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As I sit and ponder my menu for a special meal, it can seem a little overwhelming. Just which recipes will work best together? Do I want to serve beef, chicken, or seafood? And which of the ten side dish recipes staring at me from my cookbooks will fit my menu? How about appetizers, desserts, wines? That's when I need to take a deep breath and start again.

And the best way to start, once I've gotten a grip over my overly ambitious thoughts, is to pick one recipe. That's right - which one recipe would I like to include in my meal? I might even start with my dessert choice first. But once that is in place, the rest of the meal falls together. By considering one choice at a time, I build my meal step by step. I always keep an eye on the total picture and, before I know it, the entire menu has come together.

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