No need to apologize, sands. I totally knew that you were referring to your own facetious comment, not mine. My reading skills are much more advanced than my cooking skills, I promise. :) But thank you for being concerned that you not hurt feelings unintentionally. The nature of the internet is such that it can really cause some awful misunderstandings... Linda, what you're saying certainly makes sense *in theory*. I guess what I'm saying, though, is that I haven't found it to make a significant difference *in practice*. For instance, is there ever liquid in the bottom of the bowl of leftover tuna/chicken salad? Yep. If there's a good bit, I drain it off; if just a little, I mix it in. Either way, I've never thought it tasted waterlogged or that the texture was compromised. Another example is our very favorite pasta salad. No seafood in that one. Just pasta, raw veggies (including most of the ones you listed above, like cucumbers and tomatoes and onions), seasonings and an Italian dressing-style marinade. The original recipe calls for it to be refrigerated for 24 hours before serving. I actually like to hold it for 48 hours, because that's when the flavor is at its' peak. In theory, it should be so mushy and watery by then that nobody would want it. In practice, it actually holds up well for another day or two before the texture of the vegetables finally starts to deteriorate. Maybe y'all are more sensitive to the watery thing than we are. Maybe every pasta salad is different in this respect. Whatever the case, I'm gonna stick to my method this time, guys. lol But I do want to add that it's a pleasure to have a (civil) debate with people who are so knowledgeable and experienced. In the short time I've been hanging around this forum, I've learned an incredible amount. Thanks for sharing! sm

You could make it several days in advance if you went ahead and cooked it. I wouldn't make it in advance and leave it uncooked because the white sauce probably wouldn't hold up well and the noodles would become mushy.

I would consider making the green bean casserole the day or night before instead. The cream soup with mushrooms may taste better a little fresher. I know you want to save on time but it really only takes about five minutes to throw it altogether. For the stuffing, I'd do all the chopping and cubing but probably keep the onions and stuff separate from the bread and just assemble it all when you bake it. Again, it should only take a couple extra minutes to assemble it. Here's a recipe for the mashed potatoes you may be interested in. I never tried it, but I hate having to do the potatoes last minute; it may help you out even being able to do them the day before. Here is a link that might be useful: Make Ahead Mashed Potatoes

4:50 pm. People arriving 5:30 pm. Duck at 122 F in a 300 F oven. I'll pull it at 130 F, then heat the oven to 425 F for final skin crisping and cooking through. Boeuf reunited w/ sauve and fresh wine, in covered pot, slowly simmering. Risotto in the pressure cooker. coming to pressure. Bolognaise sauce simmering. Need to put on pasta water. 3 more kids coming, than we expected. Everything ready for creamed spinach but the spinach. Brie cheese melted, cream and amaretto sauce ready, almonds toasted, shallots melted. Potatoes mostly cooked, ready for final cooking in oven at 400 F. Forgot the effing carrots, well they will go in the toaster oven.