"make ahead" news and stories

For years now, I've been a huge fan of the fact that there are some foods that just get better over time. I remember that as a kid, my mom's spaghetti sauce was always better the second day (and she always made enough for at least two nights worth of meals). These days, when I make ratatouille (which I've been doing on a near-weekly basis in an attempt to use us all the tomatoes, eggplant, peppers and zucchini from my farm share), I try to do it the day before I plan on serving it, so that it can mellow and get silky during the resting time.

The team at YumSugar has put together a slide show of five dinners that improve with time that could be a new source of cooking inspiration. In these days, where we're all pressed for time, it's great to have a selection of meals in the arsenal that can be prepped during a spare moment and then stashed in the fridge, ready to be eaten at your convenience.

What's your favorite make now, eat later dish?

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Easy meal prep is hot right now. By this, I am referring to the make-and-freeze dinner businesses that are thriving all across the US. With names like Dream Dinners, Super Suppers, My Girlfriend's Kitchen, Supper Thyme USA, What's for Dinner and Dinner by Design, all appeal to the "busy family demographic, where people want to have home cooked meals but don't necessarily feel that they have the time to do it themselves. These businesses offer kitchens with lots of partially assembled meals and ingredients that you can put together in combinations that your family will like. Typically, meals are prepared for a week or two in advance and everything can be frozen. Heating instructions (and any other cooking suggestions, if needed, are included.

The trend is so popular that it is starting to spread out of the US. In London, a chain called Dinners Made is springing up and gaining popularity with those who are looking for food to make in advance and freeze, and also with those who want to entertain and don't have time (or perhaps the ability) to cook everything from scratch without some assistance. Using Dinners Made means that the recipes are included, prep is done and cleanup is taken care of, as they are at every similar easy meal prep shop. Combining the convenience of working in the store with below-restaurant prices, a flexible menu and fresh ingredients, it's not hard to see why the idea is spreading so rapidly.

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The idea of making meals in advance and freezing them is appealing, but because most recipes are not really intended to be prepared then stored, as opposed to eaten, taking the time to make these "extra" meals can seem like a daunting task. This new cookbook, Dream Dinners, is entirely geared towards these make-ahead meals. It was written by the two women who already turned the concept into a profitable enterprise with Dream Dinner stores where busy people (families or otherwise) can come in and prepare healthy, tasty foods in advance to take home.

All of the recipes in the book can be prepared in two ways. The first way makes up one dish for that night's dinner, while the other makes three meals' worth of food, so two portions can be frozen for future evenings. Naturally, the focus is on preparing the meals in advance and not necessarily on the meal just ahead. In addition to main dishes, there are also salads, soups and a handful of desserts to keep things interesting. Check out two sample recipes for Caribbean Pork over Rice and Pork Tenderloin with Pears to give you an idea of the techniques used in the book.

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All our bags are packed and we're ready to go... on a picnic (not an airplane). It's Slashfood's Picnic Day! We're excited to get out of the house and hit the road, and we're sure that many of you readers are eager to get away this summer, too. Whether you're going out to the beach for a long weekend or simply over to a friend's barbecue, we hope you'll like some of our favorite ideas, tips and recipes for foods that can be made ahead and taken along.

This space will be updated throughout the day with links to all of our posts, so feel free to bookmark it for a handy reference! You can also find all these posts and more summery things by looking under our Spirit of Summer tag all season long.

• Portable Peanut Butter
• Picnics: Easy Recipes for the Best Alfresco Foods, Cookbook of the Day
• Bacon-wrapped dates
• Silverware to-go!
• All-cookie picnic
• Better-than-you-can-buy chewy granola bars (recipe)
• Ultimate picnic food: pasta salad (recipe)
• Wine For Picnics - Salads
• Quiche Lorraine (recipe)
• Chocolate Covered Ants
• Picnic tip: take veggies to go
• Sweet, savory and healthy Waldorf Coleslaw (recipe)
• More veggies to go: wraps
• Wine For Picnics - Salad Dressings
• Gazpacho to go (recipe)
• Take your 6-pack on the road
• Salad Recipe - Thai Inspired Melon Salad (recipe)
• Picnic Bread: Prosciutto and Artichoke Schiacciata (recipe)