166 ahead recipes

Curry garlic dip whisks mayonnaise with chili sauce, curry powder, garlic, grated onion, and Worcestershire for a make-ahead party dip. Doubles as a sauce for cold shrimp, steak, or lamb.

Sweet and sour pasta salad with kamut spirals, kidney and black beans, red pepper, scallions, and basil. A protein-packed vegan picnic salad that holds up beautifully for make-ahead lunches.

Soy marinated mushrooms, a make-ahead appetizer of fresh mushrooms steeped overnight in a hot brine of soy sauce, red wine vinegar, sherry, sugar, and minced onion. Tangy, savory, deeply umami.

Pickled fish poaches mild white fillets, then bathes them overnight in a citrus-bright marinade of vinegar, orange juice, green chiles, bay leaf, and garlic. A make-ahead Mexican escabeche-style dish served cold.

Crock pot barbecued pork turns leftover pork roast into tender pulled-pork sandwiches, slow-cooked in a homemade sweet-and-tangy tomato BBQ sauce. A freezer-friendly make-ahead, ready to pile on buns.

You can serve this delightful cholesterol-free, high-fiber bread on New Year's Eve instead of the traditional bowl of black-eyed peas believed to bring good fortune for the year ahead.

A lighter Cajun mayo made with light mayonnaise and low-fat yogurt, seasoned with cumin, oregano, cayenne, and garlic salt. Mix it up a day ahead and let the spices meld overnight.

A no-cook Texas caviar dip with black-eyed peas, jalapenos, tomatoes, and bell peppers tossed in a cumin-oregano vinaigrette. The ultimate make-ahead Super Bowl snack that feeds a crowd.

Hearty low-fat vegetable soup with potatoes, zucchini, squash, carrots, pureed tomatoes, and kidney beans. Oil-free and loaded with garden veggies, this make-ahead soup tastes even better the next day.

This Eastern European compote simmers dried apples, pears, prunes, and raisins in apple cider with honey and warm spices. A make-ahead fruit dessert that improves over two weeks in the fridge.

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.

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.

Handy pastry dough: make-ahead pie crust with egg and vinegar that keeps two weeks in the fridge. Makes five balls ready to roll for pies, quiches, or turnovers on short notice.

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.

A chilled summer pasta salad of garden vegetable pasta, cooked shrimp, and sweet honeydew melon balls tossed in a tangy vinaigrette. A refreshing, make-ahead sweet-and-savory dish for warm days.

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.