I don’t know if anyone will weep with delight, but lasagna or stuffed jumbo shells (which are slightly more elegant) can be made ahead and then reheated. Add a nice, big salad, fresh bread, a bottle of wine and dessert and you’re done!

http://www.marthastewart.com/336478/roast-pork-loin-with-pancetta-and-sage

Perhaps a little heavy for the south in May, but a thought.

http://www.myrecipes.com/recipe/sauted-chicken-breasts-with-balsamic-vinegar-pan-sauce-10000000592306/

Another recipe that can be held and my people gobble down.  These directions are slightly different than those in Pam Anderson’s “How to Cook Without a Book”, where I originally found it, and there are MANY more pan sauce recipes in the book.  Get the book if you have time.  it’s a keeper.

We are eating this:
http://www.marthastewart.com/263091/cod-with-leeks-and-tomatoes

with a carrot/slaw salad.

http://www.5dollardinners.com/2011/01/penne-pasta-sweet-sausage-basil-sauce.html
Penne Pasta with Sausage
This meal was such a hit with my family.  I love how the recipe calls for just canned tomato sauce instead of a marinara sauce.  I find that the tomato sauce is lighter and coats the pasta nicely.  I add italian seasoning or use tomato sauce with italian seasoning in it for a little more flavor.  This dish could absolutely be made in advanced.
I also make this recipe on Fridays minus the meat.  Everyone gobbles it up.  Make a big yummy salad, garlic bread and you’ve got yourself a great meal. 
By the way Rachel I love your new blog.  It’s great….

Sage Brown Butter Chicken

It’s easy.  It tastes unbelievable.  It even looks a bit fancy.

Bake a batch of chicken thighs at 350 for an hour. (I put them on a cookie rack inside the baking pan to prevent them from getting soggy or cooking in solid grease.  During the last 10 minutes, get out a skillet, one stick of butter (not margarine), fresh sage leaves and parmesean cheese. (You can use a familiar green tube of the stuff or fresh grated, the finer the better). 

Melt the butter in the pan. Float the sage leaves, one or two for each thigh.  Let butter heat until it turns brown.  Then turn off quick and remove from heat. 

When the chicken comes out piping hot, pour the parmesean over each thigh so that it is covered.  Pour the melted butter on top of each thigh. Garnish with sage leaf or two.  Serve with french bread, green salad and green beans with almonds. It will look fancy. It will taste scrumptious, and it’s inexpensive to boot.  Also the sauce rocks on angelhair pasta!

Make the lemon butter ahead.  It is amazing.  I know it’s grilled but you could pan cook too very easily.  (Fish is easy to grill b/c it is so quick!)  Serve with a spinach salad and bread.  My kids can’t get enough of the orzo with the lemon butter on it. 

Ingredients
1 lemon, finely zested
2 lemons, juiced
1/2 cup dry white wine
1 shallot, thinly sliced
Splash heavy cream
1 stick unsalted butter, cut into cubes, at room temperature
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
4 (8-ounce) tilapia fillets
3 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 pound orzo, cooked al dente
1/4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves
1/4 cup drained capers
Directions
Combine the lemon zest, juice, wine and shallot in a small saucepan over high heat and cook until reduced by half. Remove from the heat and let cool. Whisk together the cream, butter and wine mixture in a small bowl and season with salt and pepper. Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes. The lemon butter can be made 1 day in advance and refrigerated. Bring to room temperature before serving.

Heat the grill to high.

Brush the fish on both sides with the oil and season with salt and pepper. Grill the fish for 3 to 4 minutes per side or until lightly golden brown and slightly charred. Toss the orzo with a few tablespoons of the lemon butter and 2 tablespoons of the parsley and season with salt and pepper. Transfer the orzo to a platter. Remove from the grill and immediately place the fillets on the orzo and top each fillet with some of the lemon butter and capers. Garnish with the remaining parsley.

I’ve made a pork tenderloin with a rosemary/garlic rub covered with prochuitto and cornmeal coated capers - sliced & put it on a platter surrounded by your favorite veggies - presentation is lovely.  Normally I’d say roast beef surrounded by carrots and potatoes, but maybe not, spring is here!
My newest favorite meal is a Linguine with Asparagus pesto w/ roasted grape tomatoes & almonds on top - it was an easy to assemble.
Usually though, my focus is on the food surrounding the main dish - homemade bread, specially prepared veggies, homemade bruschetta on toast and DESSERT!  A recent guest was treated to a dessert sampling of Chocolate Sugar Cookies, Earl Grey Tea Cookies and strawberries & blueberries tossed in a homemade vanilla bean syrup - yum!

Some ideas that come to mind: Morrocan chicken pie from the cookbook “The Spanish Table” (saute onions, add canned diced (or two fresh chopped) tomatoes, then add cooked shredded chicken, combine with a little broth, paprika, and raisins and stew until moist but not too juicy. Sprinkle with slivered almonds and stuff mixture between two defrosted puff pastry sheets crimping two of the edges together to keep mixture inside. Make slits on top of stuffed puff pastry and bake 20-30 minutes 350 degrees until puff pastry is golden. Serve warm).

#2: Corn pudding with Serrano ham and poblano chile from epicurious.com

both recipes can be made ahead of time.

My go to company dish is roasted chicken cooked flat..  I cut the back bone out with good kitchen shears and flip over and press down to break breast bone so it lays out flat.  Rub with olive oil and add salt/ pepper and fresh rosemary.  roast in oven for about 1 hour.  The last half of cooking time I make a big tray of cut veggies, (ex. carrots potatoes, brocc, ..)drizzle with olive oil and s/p and more fresh rosemary.  Both can be baked at 400 and your house will smell so good with the rosemary.  Put out some nice bread and a fresh salad.  For dessert cut up strawberries ahead of time and sprinkle with sugar to glaze them.  Serve on top of sliced pound cake.  Sara Lee makes a great one.    Ice tea or wine and your set.

We all like Chicken in Herb:

9 chicken thighs (I use boneless)
1/2 stick butter
3 T lemon juice
1 T Parmesan cheese
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp celery salt
1/2 tsp dry mustard
salt and pepper to taste

Place chicken thighs in roasting pan so they don’t overlap.  Melt butter and add all other ingredients.  Pour over chicken.  Cook uncovered for 2 hours at 300 degrees.  Baste about every 20 min.  (I usually double sauce and bake covered.  Then I serve with whole wheat couscous.)

The best ham you can afford, heated through in the oven on top of frozen green beans, which acquire a great ham flavor.  Any kind of potatoes on the side, but my family likes

Cheesy Potatoes 8
Combine and spread in greased baking dish:  a 2# bag of diced hash browns, thawed; a medium onion, diced; a stick of butter or margarine, melted; a can of cream soup - mushroom or chicken are good - undiluted; a 16oz container of sour cream; and 8oz extra-sharp cheddar cheese, shredded.  Top with crushed potato chip crumbs.  Cover and bake at 350 for at least 1 1/2 hours, until bubbling in the center.  Can be made the day before and refrigerated.

*These hold very well in a warmer.  In fact, my family actually calls them “Dead People Potatoes” because I regularly make them for funeral lunches at our church, where they are baked and delivered before the funeral and held in a warmer until afterward.  They are VERY rich, so definitely a special occasion dish. We eat them at Christmas and Easter and maybe one other time a year.

My aunt introduced me to her Delcious Chicken Casserole.  It’s a standard when we visit her.  My family loves it!!

2 cup cooked rice (1 c dry rice in 2 cup water)
4 c diced cooked chicken—light or dark meat, your preference
2 c diced celery
2 T chopped onion
2 can cream of chicken soup
2 T lemon juice
1/2 c mayonnaise (optional, but do not substitute Miracle Whip or light mayo)

topping:  1 cup your choice nuts (almonds, pecans, walnuts), 1 c corn flakes or special K, 1 T butter

Saute onion & celery in 2 T butter.  In large bowl, stir rice soup, lemon juice, and mayo.  Add sauted veggeis and chicken.  Mix thoroughly.  Pour into greased 9x13 baking dish.  Saute nuts and corn flakes in butter and place over chicken mixture.  Bake 1 hour at 350 degrees. 

**this can be made a day or 2 ahead of time.  Put the topping on just before putting into the oven.  May be frozen if you omit the mayo.

I hope your company goes well.  Having a menu planned WAY ahead of time saves so much anxiety.

Chicken, Carrots and Potatoes with Basil-Butter Sauce

Layer in 9x13 casserole in order:
Chicken breasts (boneless)
Red potatoes, peeled or not, sliced to 1/4” thin
Baby carrots sliced lengthwise (or big carrots cut crosswise 2-3” long and then sliced lengthwise)

Whirl in blender:
1/2 c. olive oil
4 T. butter
1 t. salt
3 T. dried basil—or more fresh
2 cloves garlic
cracked pepper

Drizzle sauce over chicken & veggies.  Cover pan in foil.  Bake at 350 1-1.5 hrs or until carrots and potatoes are done.  Great with crusty bread and a salad.

The great thing about this recipe, besides the way it smells and tastes and how sophisticated it looks, is that you can make 2 pans and you don’t need to double the sauce.  You can also pound the chicken if you feel like it.

The Grilled Steak Salad from F&F July/Aug 2008 is excellent: http://www.faithandfamilylive.com/magazine/the_heat_is_on/  Yes, it’s grilled, but it’s grilled in advance (I do it the day before), so if you mess it up, you can fix it in time.  I tend to pair this with a chilled pasta salad with vegetables for a hot weather buffet.  And I think a banana pudding with blueberries would be a great dessert, too.

You could do a salad bar type meal. My family enjoys Taco Salads. You supply all the stuff (lettuce, meat & beans, toms, cheese, sour cream, black olives, etc) then everyone builds their own salad. If a person doesn’t want a salad, provide chips for loaded nachos.

I like to make a meat & beans dish similar to chili to put on my taco salads. It can be made the night before and heated up. OR make chili in the crockpot this weekend and freeze it until the morning you want to use it. Way easy.

Butternut squash lasagna.  Everyone loves this, vegetarian or not.  The plus is that it’s actually something that carnivores enjoy eating!  (Hint: handy for Lenten Fridays, everyone!)  The recipe I have is on my home computer and I’m at the office…I’ll post it later on if I can, but you can also search to find a recipe that you like.  It is DELICIOUS.

Here is a side or dessert that never goes wrong and is loved by everyone who ever eats it. 

Sweet Potato Casserole

Ingredients:

28 oz of canned sweet potatoes, drained and mashed
2   tablespoons butter, melted
1   teaspoon vanilla extract
½  teaspoon salt
1   large egg

½  cup firmly packed brown sugar
¼  cup all-purpose flour
2   tablespoons butter, cut up
⅓  cup chopped pecans

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Combine first 5 ingredients in a large bowl.
Spoon into a lightly greased 8 inch square baking dish.
Combine sugar and flour, cut in 2 tablespoons butter with a pastry blender until mixture is crumbly.
Stir in pecans, sprinkle over potato mixture.
Bake casserole at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.

*I always double the recipe, but keep it in an 8-inch baking dish and cook it for 40-to 45 minutes.

my go to meal for a very fancy, special people are coming is Osso Buco. there are a ton of recipes out there if you search. I like that although it takes a while, the last two hours or so are just simmering, and it will keep well in a warming drawer. good Luck!

This chili makes me weep with delight every time I eat it.  It can be made ahead.

White Bean Chicken Chili
yield: Serves 4 to 6
Ingredients
•  2 tablespoons olive oil
•  1 large onion,chopped
•  4 large garlic cloves, chopped
•  1 tablespoon ground cumin
•  1 teaspoon dried oregano
•  1/2 teaspoon aniseed
•  1 pound boneless skinless chicken thighs, cut into 1-inch pieces
•  2 15-ounce cans cannellini beans (white kidney beans)
•  1 cup canned chicken broth
•  1 4-ounce can diced green chilies
•  1/2 cup whipping cream
•  Grated cheddar cheese
•  Chopped fresh cilantro
Preparation
Heat oil in Dutch oven over medium heat. Add onion, garlic, cumin, oregano, and aniseed. Sauté 5 minutes. Push onion to 1 side of pan. Season chicken with salt and pepper and add to pan. Sauté chicken approximately 5 minutes.
Drain beans; reserve 1/2 cup bean liquid. Add beans, broth, chilies, and reserved bean liquid to chicken. Simmer until chicken is tender and cooked through, about 10 minutes. Stir in cream.  Season to taste with salt and pepper. (Can be prepared 1 day ahead. Cover and refrigerate. Reheat before using.) Ladle chili into bowls. Top with cheese and sprinkle with cilantro.

My husband used to have a job that required us to entertain several times a month. I used this recipe A LEAST once a month…usually for the first time we entertained someone new. The presentation is great, especially if you do the small potatoes, and it’s REALLY easy.
http://www.nigella.com/recipes/view/slow-roasted-garlic-and-lemon-chicken-203
Happy Cooking!

How about Boeuf Bourguignonne?  (French Beef stew with wine)

It’s company worthy; cooked with wine; and can sit for a little while after the guests have arrived and not dry out.

I have a great recipe from my Joy of Cooking, but Ina probably has a recipe, too!  She’s big on having the cook enjoy the party too. 

See Ina’s recipe here:

http://projects.washingtonpost.com/recipes/2004/12/22/ina-gartens-boeuf-bourguignon/

Sorry I don’t have a recipe to share, but after looking at all these suggestions, I think you have plenty!  FWIW, I have never had a Martha Stewart or Barefoot Contessa recipe turn out “bad”.  They are my go-to recipes!

I totally agree with Erika about Barefoot Contessa.  I have several of her cookbooks.  In addition to company-friendly and family-friendly recipes, she also has menus included at the back of the cookbook, so you don’t have to come up with your own side dishes.  You can get her recipes online, but I found that I use her cookbooks equally as often as the internet.

Depends what you are serving…but this is easy to make ahead: cheesy potato casserole:
http://babystepsjmj.blogspot.com/2011/02/potato-casserole.html

I love pork tenderloin.
But I always start my menu planning with dessert! Here is a favorite: http://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/Chocolate-Truffle-Pie

Rachel,
Every once in a LONG while I make Normandy Chicken. It’s super-easy, incredibly yummy and impresses the crowd each time. You can find a recipe for it here: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/emeril-lagasse/chicken-normandy-recipe/index.html