212 ahead recipes

Zuleika cake is a flourless almond cake with a tender, macaroon-like base crowned with a rich cooked egg yolk cream and toasted almonds. Naturally gluten-free and best made a day ahead.

A frozen pumpkin pie made with vanilla ice cream and a spiced pecan-gingersnap crust. Creamy, no custard to bake, and made entirely ahead in the freezer. A cool twist on pumpkin pie.

Chocolate mousse torte tops a deep devil's food cake with a silky coffee-liqueur chocolate mousse and a cloud of whipped cream. A make-ahead chocolate dessert with a grown-up Kahlua kick.

Three-bean salad packed with green beans, kidney beans, chickpeas, corn, celery, carrots, and pimientos in a sweet-and-tangy vinegar dressing. The classic potluck make-ahead. Keeps in the fridge for weeks and gets better with time.

Fresh asparagus spears with a make-ahead orange and lime citrus cream sauce. Just 50 calories per serving, this elegant low-fat side dish is ready in 30 minutes and doubles as an impressive entertaining platter.

Three layers of homemade cocoa brownie stacked with strawberry ice cream and drizzled with chocolate sauce. This frozen brownie loaf is a make-ahead showstopper that feeds 10 to 12 with zero fuss at serving time.

A chilled coconut-lime cream pie in a coconut-graham cracker crust with a silky custard filling, fresh lime juice, and piped whipped cream topping. Tropical, tangy, and make-ahead friendly for up to 3 days.

Overnight souffle layers buttered bread, mushrooms, onions, bacon, Anaheim chilies, dill, and cheddar between an egg-cream-Dijon custard, then chills overnight and bakes into a puffy strata. The make-ahead brunch hero for holiday mornings.

Make-ahead chocolate chip cookie dough that keeps in the fridge for up to 4 weeks. Sour cream keeps them soft and chewy, pecans add crunch, and you can bake a fresh batch whenever the craving hits.

Timing Tip: Can be frozen for up to 2 weeks. Decorate up to 8 hours ahead. Calorie Trimmer: Use reduced-calorie margarine, vanilla nonfat frozen dessert instead of the ice cream and 2 cups thawed frozen reduced-calorie whipped topping for garnish.

Enjoy a taste of the Old West with these succulent pork chops atop a zesty rice blend, infused with chili powder, green bell peppers, and tomato sauce. This make-ahead recipe allows you to prep components in advance for a convenient, hearty meal when you’re ready to pop it into the oven.

No flag day or 4th of July celebration would be complete without a potato salad. This version is lighter and healthier that the tradition mayonaise only version but every bit as tasty. It's best made the day before. A great make-ahead classic side-dish so you can enjoy the day more.

The secret to tender baked beans is to leave the salt out until they are finished cooking. For some reason, salt toughens them. To pamper your tummy, rinse off the beans when they are finished soaking in several changes of cold water. This recipe is easy to prepare ahead and cooks in only two hours.

Pan seared salmon is gently tossed with browned mushrooms, broccoli, some good extra-virgin olive oil and fresh lemon juice.

Garlic lovers rejoice! In this green salad recipe, roasted asparagus along with the garlic studded soy/lime based dressing has multiple levels of flavor to savor. Enjoy!

A bit sweet, sour with slightly spicy, this Thai cauliflower curry has lots of deliciousness that coconut milk, fish sauce and Thai curry paste have delivered. Serve it over a bed of rice that helps to soak up all the goodness.