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

I don't tend to spend over much time worrying about Salmonella etc, but still, I wouldn't be happy about taking scalloped potatoes warm, on an hour and a half drive, even with a restaurant/catering quality insulated box to keep them truly hot. Without one, I wouldn't even consider it. I would make them the day before, and take them in a cooler with blue ice the day of...stopping to take them out a half an hour before you arrive as long as the day isn't too hot so they aren't too cold when you get there. Then, I'd go with sands99 suggestion...heat them slowly in the microwave, and bring some extra cheese and onions and set them into the oven on high for a few minutes before dinner to melt the cheese and get the potatoes bubbling. I don't mind taking the chill off things in a microwave, if necessary, but I think it does strange things to dairy when used exclusively.

Do you have a salad spinner? I always wash my cilantro & parsley when I get it home, spin it as dry as I can & store it in a ziploc bag with a few paper towels in the fridge. I find it stores best when dry - lasts for a week. Wrap your green onions in paper towels too as they are always soaking wet at the store from the water they keep spraying on the veggies. I wouldn't do anything ahead. I'd take my ingredients, a good knife & a small plastic cutting board with me. Take a bottle of olive oil (or a small well-sealed container), a fresh lemon or two and your salt & pepper with you). Pack the cilantro & onions in a small cooler. Cook the potatoes there in the beach house kitchen, and then all you need to do is mix up the dressing & chop the cilantro & spring onions - you can do that even in any cramped, ill-equipped kitchen. The dressing is so simple you can even get by not mixing it, but just sprinkling all the ingredients over the potatoes and just gently tossing. This is my kind of cooking! Have a great weekend...

Sooz, sounds like you have a new career. Your food looks delicious. I'm with you on not cooking the chicken a day in advance. But I would definitely, bread the chicken a day in advance. I would rub each chicken breast with a little fresh garlic paste (Microplane the garlic).( I like fresh garlic better than garlic powder) Use your processor to make fresh bread crumbs and season the crumbs with fresh grated parmesan cheese. Dip the chicken in flour seasoned with salt and pepper and egg mixed with just a little water and then into the bread crumbs. Chicken can be breaded the day in advance and then quickly fried the next day. I'd pour a little of the sauce in the bottom of the pan, and lay the breaded chicken cutlets over the sauce. Now they are ready to be reheated in the oven. Leaving them in the sauce for an hour or two isn't going to hurt them. Add a little more sauce on top and the cheese just before they go in the oven. Oh and if you have extra chicken, you can breaded it as above and freeze it on cookie sheets and then store in zip lock bags. Don't defrost before frying. Ann