212 ahead recipes

This is a little different than the usual coleslaw, but very good and easy to prepare. Prepare ingredients ahead of time, then put salad together whenever you wish.

Frozen Christmas pudding made by folding brandy-soaked dried fruit with cocoa and orange zest into softened vanilla ice cream. A no-bake, make-ahead holiday dessert.

Baked new potato salad with toasted peanuts, double mustard dressing, cumin, and low-fat yogurt. A make-ahead potato salad with crunch and a tangy, nutty edge.

Curried corn and chicken salad with a creamy yogurt-curry dressing, red cabbage, bell pepper, and cumin. A no-cook, make-ahead lunch with bold Indian-inspired flavor.

Banana split squares with Oreo crust, layered vanilla and strawberry ice cream, bananas, and homemade fudge sauce. No-bake make-ahead frozen dessert for a crowd.

Hearty oatmeal butterscotch muffins with rolled oats soaked in buttermilk, dark brown sugar, and a generous load of butterscotch chips. A make-ahead breakfast batch that yields 18 tender muffins.

Grilled chicken breasts with a curried peach and Vidalia onion relish spiked with cayenne, brown sugar, and apple cider vinegar. Make the relish up to 5 days ahead.

Cranberry swirl cheesecake on a vanilla wafer crust with sour cream topping and fresh cranberry orange compote. A stunning make-ahead holiday dessert.

Granny's ham and potato gratin for a crowd layers parboiled potatoes, diced ham, and Swiss cheese with a mustard-garlic bechamel. Feeds 24, bakes in under an hour, and can be assembled a day ahead.

Spicy black bean salad dressed with lime, champagne vinegar, jalapeños, cayenne, and fresh mint. A make-ahead vegan side with bright heat from dried beans cooked from scratch.

Holiday pasta bake layers penne with eggplant tomato sauce, creamy ricotta, mozzarella, and Parmesan. A make-ahead crowd-feeder that bakes into a bubbling, cheesy, eggplant-rich casserole. Serves eight from one dish.

A French-Caribbean lamb stew from Martinique and Guadeloupe, simmered with Colombo curry powder, ginger, garlic, boniato or potato, and calabaza squash. Make-ahead friendly and even better the next day.

Elegant crawfish mousse with cream cheese, sour cream, brandy, and Tabasco set in a decorative mold. A make-ahead Cajun party appetizer that unmolds into a stunning centerpiece.

Antipasto pasta salad with salami, provolone, garbanzo beans, olives, and mushrooms in a lemon-garlic-basil dressing. A make-ahead party dish that gets better as it chills.

Make-ahead sausage, cheese and egg breakfast casserole built on herb croutons, sharp cheddar and bulk pork sausage. Assemble at night, bake in the morning. The brunch crowd-feeder.

Vegetable lasagna layered with zucchini, spinach, mushrooms, and a red wine tomato sauce. Make-ahead and lighter than meat lasagna, with cottage cheese standing in for ricotta.