WHEN ONLY THE BEST WILL DO

You are planning a party and trying to decide on a great menu. You may have read some new recipes in a magazine that you are thinking of trying to impress your guests. The ingredients sound interesting and the pictures are colorful and enticing. Should you try them out on your guests and hope for the best? When planning a social gathering, it is your best bet to use recipes that you have tried, tested, and were delicious. Because of the tension and anxiety surrounding any gathering, trying out new recipes ant taking the risk that they will turn out perfectly just adds more stress to the situation. When nothing else but perfection will do, you can impress your friends and reinforce your reputation as a great cook and a very competent social planner by little time-savers. Sticking to dishes and recipes that you have actually used before, and found them delightful and appetizing, is just one way. Food can be garnished and decorated for more elaborate affairs. You can let your artistic side go wild and the presentation will be well worth the trouble. Of course, you could test a new-found recipe several weeks before your event. Try it once, and then try it again. Take note of the time involved, and if the same results are achieved each time you prepare it. Did you get the same expected end product or was there a deviation from what you thought the final result would be? If there is a major difference, forego the item until you have mastered the details that will insure a uniform presentation each and every time you serve it. This way you insure success with your efforts, as well as eliminating one less detail to worry about. Using recipes that you know are good and that others enjoy, gives you that extra boost of confidence. If you feel your dishes are not quite