Lasagna would be my go-to. Everyone seems to like it and you can play with the style to make it feel special. It's easy to reheat as well. Add a salad and a dessert and you're done.

The most important aspect will be plating. Make sure that whatever you prepare will look as good as it tastes. Think about garnishes, look at the texture and colors on the plate. This is what separates home-cooking from the gourmet.

Totally agree with the braised suggestion from the editor. A Tagine with Couscous could be tasty, but it is summer so maybe something lighter would be more appropriate... Best of luck, Amy!

Catering is always do as much as possible before hand, leaving your time day-of for finishing, plating and the unexpected.

There is so much as play here. Could you give me some more info? Do you have access to oven or burners? Fridge space? Prep space? What are you serving to drink? All of these play a huge factor into what you can cook and how much flexibility with your menu you have.

If you have all of these you can pretty much do anything you want.
You can pre-plate and refrigerate salads, leaving out the dressing for last.

Appetizers are good, but I usually stick to hors d'oevures and finger foods while the guests mingle and snack.

You can partially cook entrees and finish them in the oven. You can do salmon easily, A braise is a good idea an it is tender and flavorful. Lasagna is fine, but rarely will be exciting or fun. Cook what excites you for your first gig. Enjoy it, be proud of what you serve. If you think it may be too complicated, think of what you can do ahead and then see if it is still feasible.

Think of your crowd too. If it is a group of close friends, you can serve family style. Making it even easier on you. Thomas Keller even has a restaurant and book based on this concept.

Always garnish, but keep the garnish appropriate. The garnish should enhance the dish with flavor and appearance.

Desserts you can do the same. Pre-plate, leaving only a garnish and serve.

Always always always have as much fun as possible!

For the entrée, mini tartlets are great (onions, tomatoes & mustard, mushrooms, leeks...). They can be reheated and they can bear to be serve lukewarm.

mini tartlets are wonderful just as the last person said.. i´d reccomend lightly heated chantarells and red onion jam on top with some frisille :) yum.

If it's hot and summery, I would serve an elegant cold main dish -- Susan Spungen's Pork Tonnato, served with sides of thin haricots verts and other vegetables. It would really take the stress off you. Just make sure to have some fabulous serving platters and pieces (presentation makes a huge difference). I've made it for company, and it was a huge hit. The only starch I would serve it with is a good baguette au levain.

Then, play around with the starter and dessert... A puréed fresh pea soup garnished with pea shoots? A goat cheese and tomato tart? It really depends with what great local ingredients you have access to. Or, you could have a pasta starter, since you will not be serving a starch (very Italian). Perhaps linguine with sautéed cherry tomatoes, garlic, and ricotta with a dusting of parmesan (also good with orchietti). Just explore the River Café cook books for ideas.

As for dessert -- perhaps a peach Pavlova? A delicious plain cake covered with sautéed peaches? (I'm on a peach kick because they are so delicious right now)

oops -- here is the recipe:

http://www.oprah.com/food/Pork-Tonnato

I would consider something like individual quiches. Maybe a caramelized onion, mushroom with a nice cheese for the quiche? I would serve a huge platter of freshly sliced tomatoes with salt and pepper, maybe a nice salad and/or some cold roasted asparagus. Or, you could do a nice creamy tomato soup with the quiche and salad. Wine would be nice as well.

Something else I have had success with is making a couple of soups and a few really good meal salads with bread. The one we make that everyone loves has store roasted rotisserie chicken torn on top of spinach with sliced red bell, mushrooms, bacon, pecans, tomatoes and blue cheese. We serve it with a creamy rosemary balsamic. You could do a quinoa and roasted veggie and with feta and a nice garlic Parmesan vinaigrette.You could serve a creamy tomato Florentine soup and reheat right before guests arrive. You could do a nice cream of mushroom too. Both reheat well. There are some great no-knead bread recipes out there, or you could buy some from a nice bakery. Again, you could serve with wine. There are a few really nice boxed wines around. You could decant them, or make sangria in a pitcher so no one would know they were boxed. It's a much less expensive way to serve wine to a crowd.

I don't know if you are thinking about appetizers, but for summer, I would do something like melon and asparagus wrapped in prosciutto with a couple of good cheeses. Or, you could do the Spanish version of bruschetta called pan con tomate and serve it with sliced monchego and sliced Jamon Serrano ham on the side for those who want to add it to the top. It's very simple and delicious.

I know this is super long, but speaking of Spanish, you could do a tapas party. you could serve a couple of appetizer tapas like the above and a spanish cheese platter with honey comb and Spanish almonds. There are some great cold tapas and salads you can serve. Then, you could do a few that warm well like Spanish meatballs. Serve white and red pitchers of sangria. People love parties like that.

@Piraaja: is it chanterelle season where you are? You would need a big haul for 10. And unless you can get hold of ready-cleaned ones, it would take a long time to clean such a large quantity.

A Niçoise salad would be easy to assemble, or a gazpacho?

Or some mezze, taboulleh, with flatbreads.

thanks, everyone!! got some great ideas here...very helpful. merci, merci.