Some dishes simply lend themselves to being served to guests.
When I was a kid and my father brought visiting associates home from work, my mom would always fix the same meal, spaghetti. Spaghetti is good for guests because it is easy to make, self-contained, goes well with anything and most importantly almost everyone likes it. Lasagna is another such dish. Lasagna is even better because it carries all of the food groups and can be balanced at the peak of the newfangled food pyramid. When having guests it is best to stay away from foods that require precise timing or elaborate preparations.