I always pick some items that can be done ahead so I can avoid baking everything @ the zero hour.
That said, there are always lots of things that can be partially done in advance. When I am preparing for a dessert buffet, I will grease & flour pans days in advance and line them up on our dining room table along with the sifted dry ingredients which I place in a separate bowl right next to its accompanying prepared pan. I make cheesecake crusts long before they are served and pop them into the freezer to wait until 2-3 days before the event which is when I bake the cheesecakes. Frostings can be stirred up days ahead and kept in the refrigerator or freezer. Fruit pies can be made & frozen and then baked the morning of. Cake layers are baked and frozen well in advance as are cookies. Lemon curd can be frozen. About any type bread/rolls--quick or yeast--or coffeecakes can be baked & frozen and then thawed & re-warmed at the last minute right before serving.
I depend on post-it notes to label everything on the dining room table, in the freezer, in the refrigerator, etc., etc.
I break each recipe down into manageable components in order to determine which parts can be made ahead because those parts will store well. I do this with everything--not just desserts. Then I write out a timetable listing which days I plan to do which steps. If I do all the planning in advance, then I won't have to think too much as I go along because I've already thought everything through so nothing will be left off my grocery list and nothing will be omitted from my major TO DO list.
When I plan a menu, if I see that too many items have too many last-minute steps, I'll change my menu choices. No sense making myself crazy because then I won't enjoy the gathering. I have even been known to set the table several days in advance and throw a big tablecloth over all the dishes. None of the company ever sees that because the top table cloth is removed & put away long before our guests arrive, but if there is anything I can do ahead, I do it.
For a meal a couple years ago, I made twice-baked potatoes, and Cathy-In-Kauai and several others at this site gave me their hints on how to best re-heat. I had those puppies done & stuffed a day in advance and merely re-heated them. They were delicious and tasted as though they'd been made from scratch on the day of serving!
Hope this helps you! Wigs
