Start with constraints
Write down the number of guests, available table space, oven and burner capacity, budget, and how much help you have. These are firmer than an imagined ideal menu.
Ask guests about dietary needs directly and privately. A planner cannot infer ingredients or make a meal safe for someone with an allergy.
Make a quick equipment list before choosing sides: one oven, two burners, a refrigerator shelf, and four serving bowls, for example. A dish that needs a large roasting pan may crowd out another even when its cooking time looks short.
Choose a manageable center
Decide on the main dish and a small number of sides that complement it. Avoid adding a dish solely because it appeared in a previous year if no one particularly wants it.
Pick at least one component that does not compete for the same oven window. You can use your own established recipes and appliance instructions for timing.
Count the work, not just dishes
A dish can involve shopping, chopping, cooking, cooling, finishing, and serving. Enter the steps that matter in the timeline, including setup and cleanup between uses of equipment.
If the earliest start becomes unreasonable, remove or simplify a task. That is useful feedback from the schedule, not a failure of planning.
Leave space for people
Set a menu that allows the host to greet guests and sit down. A flexible dessert or make-ahead component may be more valuable than another last-minute side.
After dinner, keep a note of which dishes were enjoyed and which consumed more attention than expected. Use that record to plan next time.
Have a correction or a suggestion? Tell the studio.