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"That unofficial start of summer, Memorial Day, is right around the corner. Whether you&amp;#039;re going to someone else&amp;#039;s backyard bash or hosting your own, save yourself some hassle and make your side dishes a day in advance.   When planning make-ahead sides, keep these 7 tips in mind:  Avoid using anything that oxidizes easily like avocadoes and sliced raw mushrooms. It&amp;#039;s too difficult to keep them fresh looking, even with a ton of citrus juice.   Any onion, scallions, or shallots in the recipe? Keep them in a separate baggie until close to serving. Cut alliums tend to grow in potency as they sit, infusing everything around them with intense onion-y flavor. After just a couple of hours, they may overwhelm the other flavors in your dish.   When choosing greens for your make-ahead side, steer clear of anything too tender, like those boxed mixed greens or baby spinach. Even slightly   sturdier lettuces like romaine and iceberg won&amp;#039;t hold up more than 30 minutes, if dressed ahead of time. The greens that hold up best to dressing and sitting in the fridge for a day: kale and cabbage.   The same general rule applies for raw vegetables and fruits. Include heartier ones like carrots, corn, mangoes, nectarines, bell peppers, and radishes in your side dishes. Avoid &amp;quot;watery&amp;quot; ones like orange slices, cucumbers, and watermelon.   Too many confusing rules? When in doubt, remember this: if it&amp;#039;s a starchy side (potato salad, pasta salad), dress the starch while it&amp;#039;s still hot and then refrigerate it. If it&amp;#039;s a veggie side (green salads, cucumber salad), it&amp;#039;s better to keep the dressing separate from the veggies and dress them just before serving.   While transporting these dishes, you&amp;#039;ll want to make sure the containers are leakproof. If you don&amp;#039;t have sturdy leakproof storage containers that you trust, simply fill your container with the food, then place two large sheets of plastic wrap over the top of the container, making sure the plastic hangs over the edges before snapping on the lid. Then, for an extra tight seal, strap one or two large rubber bands around it.   If you&amp;#039;re taking the dish to a party and will be in the car for longer than 20 min., the best way to transport these summery sides is to place them in a cooler filled with plenty of water and ice. If that&amp;#039;s not an option, try one of those inexpensive silver hot/cold insulated bags filled with ice packs and place it in the coolest part of your car. I find that&amp;#039;s usually down by your feet in the front or back seat (out of the sun, but where there&amp;#039;s plenty of AC flowing).  Having trouble deciding on the perfect crowd-pleasing, make-ahead dishes for this Memorial Day? Check out our roundup of easy summer sides that only get better as they sit!    "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.goodhousekeeping.com/institute/a21721/tips-make-ahead-summer-side-dishes/>