I am often asked how I manage to juggle everything: cooking and baking, organizing, cleaning, and all the other tasks. When I was little, my mother taught me a very important lesson: never start too many tasks at once. I became so efficient in the kitchen because I follow this principle in all areas of life. When you have a clear mind and focus on one task, you can make much better decisions in the kitchen. Preparatory planning is the key to this. I will discuss meal planning later in the book. My grandmother was a true kitchen professional. She organized all the meals for the entire family every day. We had our business at home, so everyone gathered together at lunchtime. Somehow, she always managed to conjure up a three-course meal from practically nothing.