Plan Ahead
Up to 2 Months Before
- Make Cassata; store tightly wrapped in freezer.
- Make Bread Machine Fresh Herb Bread; store tightly wrapped in freezer.
- Make Easy Meatless Lasagna, but don't bake; store tightly covered in freezer.
- Make Italian Sausage Lasagna, but don't bake; store tightly covered in freezer.
Up to 2 Weeks Before
- Make Marinated Roasted Peppers, Olives and Cheese; store tightly covered in refrigerator.
The Day Before
- Make Toffee Tiramisu; tightly cover and refrigerate until serving.
- Make Melon and Prosciutto; store tightly covered in refrigerator.
- Make Lasagna Roll-Ups, but don't bake; store tightly covered in refrigerator.
- Make Golden-Crusted Chicken-Asparagus Lasagna except the whipping cream topping, but don't bake; store tightly covered in refrigerator.
- Prepare salad greens for Party-Size Garlic and Romaine Salad; store covered in refrigerator.
- Combine dressing ingredients for salad in glass jar; store tightly covered in refrigerator.
- Remove bread from freezer.
- Remove Easy Meatless Lasagna from freezer; store tightly covered in refrigerator.
- Remove Italian Sausage Lasagna from freezer; store tightly covered in refrigerator.
- Prepare fruit for Italian Sodas; store covered in refrigerator.
The Morning Of
- Sleep in; you've earned it!
About 1 1/2 Hours Before Serving
- Bake Easy Meatless Lasagna.
- Bake Italian Sausage Lasagna.
- Make whipping cream topping for Golden-Crusted Chicken-Asparagus Lasagna, and bake.
About 45 Minutes Before Serving
When Guests Arrive
Just Before Serving
About 30 Minutes Before Serving Dessert
- Remove Cassata from freezer and unmold.
Party Guide
"Noodles" of Fun
These Passion for Pasta activities are designed for all ages.
- Play a bluffing game. Fill containers with less-common pastas (capellini, ziti, vermicelli, soba noodles, mafalda and fusilli), and give one to each person or team. They must tell guests about their pasta: its name and how to use it. Example: Soba noodles originated in ___ country and are traditionally served with ___ sauce. Guests then decide if they are bluffing or telling the truth. Award points to the bluffer if a bluff is undetected or to the attempted bluffee for uncovering a bluff. The fun comes when pasta tales are created and fallen for. Have the answers on index cards.
- Play a guessing game. Fill a see-through container with pasta, and create a number of guessing games. Award prizes for the right answers.
- How many pieces of pasta are in the container?
- How many pounds (or ounces) of pasta are in the container?
- How many servings of pasta are in the container?
- Create pasta pictures. Provide various shapes and colors of pasta, glue and poster board. Divide party-goers into teams, and challenge them to create a picture within a given amount of time and then tell its story. Who says this activity is only for kids?
Pasta Pizzazz and Pointers
- Pass a bowl of warmed spaghetti sauce to top off lasagnas made with red sauce.
- Dress up baked lasagna with a sprinkle of freshly shredded Parmesan cheese.
- Garnish baked lasagna with sprigs of fresh basil and/or Cherry Tomato Flowers.
- Perk up sausage lasagna by using spicy sausage made with hot red peppers.
- Give cheese a golden glow at the end of baking (for lasagna with cheese baked on top).
- Set the oven control to broil. Broil with top 4 to 5 inches from heat 2 to 3 minutes or until golden brown.
- Wrap and tie a colorful cloth around hot lasagna dishes to add a splash of color to the dinner or buffet table and prevent burns from hot pans.
- Cut lasagna into serving pieces with a sharp serrated knife. Cut the pieces twice; doing so will make serving each portion much easier.