2 days before: Bake brownies 1- to 2-days in advance. Serve chilled.
1 day before: Assemble the strata. Make salad dressing for escarole and butter lettuce salad. Assemble flavored sugar and syrup for strawberries. Rinse berries quickly in colander. Slice berries a few hours before serving.
Goat Cheese, Artichoke, and Smoked Ham Strata
Escarole and Butter Lettuce salad with Pomegranate Seeds and Hazelnuts (pictured)
Peanut Butter and Fudge Brownies with Salted Peanuts
Strawberries with Lemon Sugar and Lavender Syrup
NEXT: Spring Feast
1 day before: Make salad dressing; cover and chill. Prep soufflés; cover and chill. If made ahead and chilled, soufflés will need to bake 1 to 2 minutes longer than the recommended time. Prep sticky biscuits and arrange them in prepared pan. Chill until ready to be baked, then let biscuits come to room temperature 1 hour before baking.
Avocado and Mango Salad with Passion Fruit Vinaigrette
Oatmeal, Pecan, and Date Sticky Biscuits (pictured)
NEXT: Veggie Friendly
1 day before: Chop vegetables and cheese for frittata; cover and chill. Make biscuits and arrange on prepared baking sheet. Cover and chill overnight, then bake before serving. Make the cheesecake tart but arrange the fruits on top just a few hours before serving.
Kale and Brussels Sprout Salad
Cheesecake Tart with Tropical Fruits (pictured)
NEXT: Southern
1 day before: Make cornbread. Prep green beans and dressing; chill separately. Make and bake crust for tart; make lemon-curd and chill. Just fill tart and glaze berries early in the morning before brunch is served.
Tip: In keeping with the southern theme, start off with mint juleps.
Andouille Sausage and Shrimp with Creole Mustard Sauce (pictured)
Green Bean, Watercress, and Walnut Salad
NEXT: Sophisticated
2 days before: Make the pie.
1 day before: Make the scones and arrange them on a baking sheet; cover and chill overnight. Bake shortly before serving.
Tip: To cut prep time, use an 8- to 9-ounce package of frozen artichoke hearts instead of the fresh baby artichokes for the steak hash.
Flank Steak with Artichoke-Potato Hash and Aleppo-Pepper Aioli (pictured)
Meyer Lemon and Dried Blueberry Scones with Blueberry Preserves
Triple-Chocolate Pudding Pie with Cappuccino Cream
NEXT: Italian Countryside
3 days before: Buy tomatoes for the salad and let them stand at room temperature to ripen.
1 day before: Prep biscuits and arrange on prepared baking sheet; cover and chill. Bake shortly before serving so biscuits will be warm. Make crostata dough; roll out and chill overnight. Fill and bake the day of.
Creamy Scrambled Eggs with Smoked Trout and Green Onions (pictured)
Bruschetta with Sautéed Greens
Heirloom Tomato Salad with Burrata Cheese
Rustic Nectarine and Blackberry Crostata with Cornmeal Crust
NEXT: Old School
2 days ahead: Make pineapple; cover, and chill.
1 day ahead: Prep French toast as directed, then cover and chill overnight. Uncover and bake before serving.
Tips: If you don't want to make the whole ham, buy some ham steaks, brush with glaze, and broil briefly before serving.
Eggnog French Toast with Cranberry-Apple Compote (pictured)
Old-Fashioned Ham with Brown Sugar and Mustard Glaze
Fresh Pineapple Poached in Cinnamon Syrup
NEXT: Party Perfect
One day ahead: Assemble casserole; cover and chill. Make Parmesan toasts. Bake cupcakes. Make roasted onion dressing for the green beans.
Sliced Melon
Sausage and Egg Casserole with Sundried Tomatoes and Mozzarella
Green Beans with Roasted Onions
Vanilla Bean Coconut cupcakes with Coconut Frosting (pictured)
NEXT: Classic Comfort
One day before: Make the pie crust and make the filling; cover and chill separately. Combine and bake just before serving. Bake apples but under-bake them a little. Cool, cover, and chill. Before serving, simply re-warm covered for 15 minutes, then uncover and finish baking the apples until they are tender.
Tip: Save time by roasting asparagus in the top third of the oven while the pie bakes in the bottom third. Just roast asparagus a little bit longer, if needed, since it will be cooking at a lower temperature than the recipe calls for.
Corn and Bacon Pie (pictured)
Roasted Asparagus Salad with Arugula and Shallot Vinaigrette
Baked Apples with Dates, Almonds, and Rum with whipped cream or a scoop of vanilla ice cream
NEXT: Latin-Inspired
1 day ahead: Make the chocolate tart. For the polenta, fry the chorizo and add tomatoes to the skillet. Cook a little while longer. Cool, cover, and chill. Before serving, heat up the chorizo and tomato mixture and finish the chorizo sauce.
Tip: While polenta is baking, wrap tortillas in foil and place them into the oven to warm.
Breakfast Polenta with Chorizo and Queso Fresco (pictured)
Fried Eggs
Warm Tortillas
Sautéed Baby Zucchini with Squash Blossoms and Lemon Basil