— Roy L. Cox

So let's start with your second question first, since that's going to be the quick one to answer. And my answer is yes, there are definitely books on the subject of menu planning. Just off the top of my head, I'm not thinking of any proper titles, but I would imagine that if you do a Google search, within the first minute or two, you're bound to find a number of suitable titles that'll get you down the lane. And part of this will depend upon whether you're looking for plant-based focus or a more omnivorous sort of approach to cooking. And also when it comes to menu planning, I know there are books out there that address large volume cookery for parties or events that might be three or four dozen or more, versus something much smaller than that. And yeah, go from there. And then your first one, how do you combine a side dish with a main dish to keep a theme? On one hand, it'll depend on the side dish. So sometimes you hardly even have to think about a theme. So earlier in today's program, I talked about the side salad and this idea of using a mixed greens type of a salad or that could be tossed with a dressing, the dressing could be served on the side. But a salad goes with almost any sort of a main dish. So you don't really need to think about a theme necessarily. And we find salads served around the world today. And now if you want to drill down a little bit and thinking about linking that salad more definitively with your main dish, then think about the dressing that goes with the salad that would be along the same thematic lines as the main dish that you're producing. Okay? So, in any sort of a global cuisine, you can find some sort of a light-bodied sauce, and it might be a salad dressing specifically that'll help you out here. Okay? Otherwise, another thing you can look for will be some flavor profile through one or two, at least, key ingredients that can link those couple of dishes that you're making. And it could be the use of citrus flavor. And it could be lime juice and lime zestIt could be the flavor of yuzu, which is very popular in the space of Japanese cooking these days in North America, for example. And so yuzu might appear in your main dish, and it might appear as the primary flavoring in the salad dressing for that side item. Okay? Or it could appear, again, as a flavoring in a component of that side dish, if it's not a salad. So you can link those two dishes through that sort of a primary flavor profile through a key ingredient. So think about what you're using. Okay? It could be olive oil. That is a linking theme. It could be balsamic vinegar. That is a linking flavor profile or theme between the main dish and a side dish. And again, something like balsamic vinegar can be used to dress up a salad or some other kind of an appetizer, almost any sort of an appetizer that might be paired with a main dish. Okay? And yeah, and then go from there. I think also as you take a look at books, you can start to look at some thematic ideas. Sometimes it's a garnish that can link a couple of dishes. Maybe grated Parmesan cheese. Or maybe it's a Parmesan what do you call it? Like a wafer that is made by shaving Parmesan and then on a, I recommend a Silpat. It could be done on parchment paper. You'll put that on a sheet pan and then make a small mound of the grated Parmesan. You make multiple mounds. Put that in the oven, 350-ish, and then keep an eye on it. It's going to melt and spread, so keep some spacing between the little mounds of grated Parmesan. And as you see some color developing at the edges, you want to pull that out of the oven and let it cool down. All right? And at that point, you can let it cool flat, and it'll create a little wafer-looking garnish that you can use whole, you can break into big pieces, you can break into smaller pieces, and crumble on top of the couple of dishes. Or after you pull that sheet pan of melted cheese rounds out of the oven, let it cool for a little bit until you can handle it. And then you can do something like drape it over a wooden spoon handle or a wooden dowel. Or you might drape it over a bowl, a small bowl, turned upside down. And then when it cools down, it'll take that shape, and that gives you something interesting, again, to use as a garnish. And you might keep it whole on the main dish, and then you might use some smaller pieces or crumbles on the side dish, on the salad, or on the appetizer. Again, to keep a little linking theme through the flavor, the umami, the saltiness that's provided by that highlighting garnish on those dishes. So again, the ideas are potentially endless, I'll say. But start there, take a look at the books online that you find, and I think you'll be on your way, Roy. Thank you.