There are tons of things to make that won't keep you in the kitchen all night, taste wonderful, and that you can make ahead of time. Are you looking for fancy or more casual? Are you looking to work a bit, or do you want something fairly easy? What kinds of foods do you want to serve - Italian, Seafood...
Don't worry about the Chef - most of the time I find they like to eat different things and they understand how hard you work to cook, so they're pretty cool about things.
You could start with a light soup
Some bread and cheese
Olives
Veggies with a fresh dip servered in 3/4 of a red pepper
A good warm crab dip would go well too (and they are easy - I can send you a recipe) with some nice crackers (or a baguette cut in small slices - want to get really fancy, put it in a bread bowl (after it's cooked). You make it up ahead of time and pop it into the oven 30 minutes before guests are supposed to arrive.
Fruit w/ a yogurt dip...
Dinner could be a lasagna, or something like that you can make ahead and pop into the oven an hour before you're ready to eat. (Shells stuffed with crab meat, or manicotti - or whatever you like to make - all work well and are impressive when you serve it). Serve with a good salad and some crusty bread and you have a great meal.
