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Lasagna, pizza...if you like Mexican food, you could have the meat pre-cooked, and let everyone assemble their own tacos or burritos. Keep the additions down to a reasonable amount. Rice and beans can also be done ahead of time and reheated.

Or, you could make spaghetti sauce ahead and freeze it and just cook the noodles that night. That and a salad would be fine. I don't think anyone expects a huge meal the night before, but you could add a veggie.

Hmmm...we often end up ordering something like pizza, because at about that point in the process, I don't want to cook something else, and I want to eat something that is not my cooking, and not related to what we'll be eating the next day.

Pizza's great because I can eat the leftover cold pizza the next day for breakfast.

we always ALWAYS order pizza :)

yup, I agree with a nice hardy soup/chowder, a salad, some good bread. You don't even need a dessert .... gotta save room for tomorrow : )

Yo Chell ~ What kind of pizza comes in a sheet????

Spicy Mexican soup or spicy pizza.

I thought pizza was the universal food choice for the 'day before!' Slice should do a segment on it!

we grab taco bell. sad by good.

34 L, 48, 51 -

Char Shiu Won Ton Soup (Large), Shrimp Fried Rice, Beef With Snow Peas

Anything that comes in a take-out container.

@Chell ~ Very interesting. The featured pie in the ad for Wedgewood is ROUND! Ha Ha.....

@ iz...look at the menu page. Yes, they have rounds (ICK!!) but the large is a SHEET!!!

We bake a ham - so easy - with baked beans and potato salad. Saturdays we have a huge pot of veggie chili after the meat overload - don't think most of the men even realize it's missing meat - Moosewood has a good recipe - you can make it ahead and freeze it. Plus, it's a one-pot meal - just top with sour cream, chopped onion and cheese.

If we had guests, I'd have something like lasagna or spaghetti pie that just needed to be defrosted and heated, served with garlic bread and a salad. If no guests, it was definitely take-out that required no work and no clean-up. Probably ROUND pizza pie (cause Pi r not �. Pi r O), right iz?,Italian hoagies or Chinese. ;-P

Lasagna is definitely a hearty, easy and tasty option that is so different from the meal the next day that it is perfect. Here is a quick and easy recipe:

This simple lasagna recipe is made from scratch with all the classic Italian ingredients. Cooking time is under 15 minutes, so it's a quick dinner idea.

Ingredients

1 onion
1/4 C. olive oil
8 oz. ground beef
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. white pepper
5 Tbs. red wine
1 Tbs. tomato paste
6 Tbs. whipping cream
Pinch dried oregano
1 1/4 lb. lasagna
1/4 C. butter
Pinch ground nutmeg
1/4 C. grated Parmesan cheese

Directions

Peel and dice onion. Heat oil in pan and fry meat and onions for 5 minutes, until brown. Add salt, pepper, wine, and tomato paste and cook until thick. Stir in cream and oregano. Cook lasagna in boiling water until just tender. Drain and rinse under cold water. Dry with paper towel.

Arrange lasagna and meat sauce in layers in greased ovenproof dish, ending with a layer of lasagna. Dot with butter and sprinkle with nutmeg and grated cheese. Bake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes.

Yield: 3-4 servings

Hillary
Chew on That

I have a houseload of people starting to arrive that Tues. I have already gone and bought wine and a host of nibblies. I am thinking of making Dorie's Apple pie cake. We do lasagne all the time so I am thinking of another quick mess less entree or even pizza so I don't have to dirty the kitchen.

@Chell ~ square bites of cornbread, lasagna, brownie, or any cookie bar would be most appreciated 'cause Pi r not �. Pi r O!!! Come January, I hope to have a live-in job. You can send them c/o Me, WH Kitchen, 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue.,,, :)

@Perk!~ Condoms? I never put condoms on my lobsta rolls!;-D Eddie got his sutures removed this morning. He is eating, but not gaining any weight. He sleeps a lot. And, he REALLY hates his new basket muzzle. We cancelled our vacation. :-(

@perk ~ Thanks for the laugh!! I really needed it. REALLY.

Practically Nothing! I eat light the night before (I try!) because I'm such a pig; and I also want to be nice and hungry on Thanksgiving day! It is so hard because I usually have dessert duty in the family, and pick all night as I bake. I'll usually bake a piece of fish or chicken, and have a salad; and I realize that it's easier for me to do this because i'm single.

Soup or an overnight breakfast casserole with a fruit salad. My parents are not very big eaters any more and generally like something light for dinner - especially with the big pig out the next day!

Have fun!

@Jerzee ~ in the years when I really, really, really needed fridge space, all I had was the kitchen refrigerator. When the weather was cold, I did store in the garage or deck, but had to super secure everything from mice, dogs, deer. Then, when I didn't need as much extra space, I had an extra fridge with freezer and a big chest freezer. Isn't that always the way? Now, I'll be very curious to see what extra meals you decide to serve your guests. You always come up with something creative that sounds delicious.

We're going with Mario Batali's linguine alle noci (with walnut sauce) google it, it's quick, inexpensive and fabulous. I'd reduce the crushed red pepper flakes to half, at first to make sure it's not too spicy for you. I served it last New Year's eve and everyone loved it. Add a nice salad a nice white wine, a refreshing, light dessert for afters and you're set.

^That's so true--I can recall several football games and Macy's parades being in the deep freeze, and during one instance, snowed upon, and others hating to have to go inside because it was such a lovely 'Indian summer.' People rarely need to keep stuff out now, because large freezers are so common--hiding the food from hungry teenage family members seems to be a worse problem than protecting it from wildlife or variations in temperatures!

Oh, I haven't done it in awhile, but I recall as a kid on some occasions being allowed to have 'dessert for dinner' like pumpkin pie the night before--very uncharacteristic for my mom. Or McDonald's as a family, which was pretty characteristic for my family, growing up ;)