3 Ask guests ahead of time about any food restrictions.
There’s nothing worse than slaving all day over a beautiful roast chicken only to discover that half your guests are vegetarian and won’t touch your food. When in doubt, go vegetarian. Still I’d recommend checking on dietary quirks, just to be safe; you may discover that one of your guests is vegan, another allergic to garlic … all considerations that should be taken into account when preparing your feast.

4 Choose dishes that can largely be prepared ahead of time.
Wash, peel and chop up ingredients ahead of time; prepare sauces in advance, if the sauce so allows. Blanche slower-cooking veggies such as broccoli, asparagus, green beans, etc. – you’ll just need to sauté them for a minute or two in the final sauce to reheat. Avoid anything that requires hours of roasting … the hot oven will turn the kitchen into a boiler room, and there’s nothing like sweltering heat to make you feel even more frazzled than you already are.

5 Make enough for 2 more than the number of people you expect.
It’s always better to have leftovers (you can enjoy them for lunch the next day) than to be faced with skimping on portions because your guests have bigger appetites than you anticipated. On the other hand, you don’t want to grossly overestimate your required quantities, either, since no matter how tasty your dishes may be, you don’t want to be eating them twice a day for the next week.

6 Do the dishes/load them in the dishwasher as you’re going along with the prep work. 
Whenever you have a spare moment from cooking, wash the dirty dishes or rinse and load them into the dishwasher. It’ll prevent them from piling up unattractively on the countertops, and it’ll help you work more efficiently by keeping your workspace navigable.

7 Set out something tasty for guests to nibble on when they arrive.
No doubt you’ll still be in the kitchen, fussing around with the final cooking and preparation of your food, when the first guests start appearing on your doorstep. Set out some snacks before everyone shows up -- give your guests something to munch on, so that they won’t just be standing around idly, waiting for you to finish up what you’re doing. A plate of antipasti, chips and salsa, raw veggies and dip, hummus and pita, assorted nuts, will all work fine -- I’d avoid serving anything too heavy, however, as you don’t want your guests to spoil their appetites.