385 ahead recipes

Vanilla pecan slice-and-bake cookies from a make-ahead dough that chills into logs and freezes for up to 3 months. Crisp, buttery icebox cookies baked from frozen in 12 minutes.

Four pepper salsa with red, yellow, and green bell peppers plus green chiles, pulsed in a food processor with plum tomatoes, mustard seeds, and fresh cilantro. A colorful, make-ahead party salsa.

Crispy crunch sticks made from refrigerator biscuit dough rolled thin and coated in crushed rice cereal, sesame seeds, dill, and celery seed. A make-ahead snack that freezes and reheats in minutes.

Bread Provencale is a Provençal stuffed baguette filled with sausage, tomatoes, olives, capers, and basil, then chilled overnight and sliced into rounds. A make-ahead picnic classic from the South of France.

Classic apricot sweet simmers dried apricots with cardamom, ginger, and almonds into a fragrant, spiced compote, much like Hyderabad's qubani ka meetha. Naturally fruit-sweet, served chilled. A make-ahead Indian dessert.

Crispy flour-dredged soft-shell crabs served on a pool of creamy tomato sauce with creme fraiche, cumin seeds, celery seeds, garlic, and shallots. A restaurant-worthy crab dish with a make-ahead sauce.

A make-ahead layered pasta salad loaded with kidney beans, corn, bell peppers, and a creamy taco-seasoned dressing. This Southwestern pasta salad feeds a crowd and tastes even better the next day.

Make-ahead barley polenta cooked in milk and honey, chilled overnight, then cut into squares, coated in wheat germ, and pan-fried in butter until crispy. A wholesome, nutty breakfast or side dish.

A hilariously gross Halloween cake decorated to look like a head with frosting 'hair,' cherry eyes, and a fruit roll-up tongue. Kids go absolutely wild for this one. Easy box cake base.

Why buy salad dressing when it's easy to make your own, here's a Raspberry Walnut dressing that can be made ahead and is ready when you are. Makes about two cups of dressing.

Big-batch slushy punch made with cherry gelatin, pineapple juice, orange juice, and ginger ale. Freezes ahead, thaws to a rosy slush, and serves 46. The go-to punch for weddings and showers.

Crisp-tender cauliflower and green beans marinated in Italian dressing with dill weed, red onion rings, and red pepper flakes. A make-ahead chilled vegetable side that needs at least 4 hours to soak up flavor.

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.

A three-bean salad dressed in tangy molasses-mustard vinaigrette with celery, green onion, and torn curly endive. No-cook, make-ahead, and gets better the longer it marinates. Bring this to the cookout.

Chilled poached shrimp served with a bold, spicy peanut dipping sauce made with ginger, garlic, red pepper flakes, and soy sauce. Both the sauce and shrimp can be made days ahead for easy entertaining.

Easy new potato salad with skin-on baby potatoes folded into creamy dill dressing and fresh green onions. Make it the day ahead so the flavors mingle and the spuds drink in the herbs.