The night before a big ride (where I'll be out all day and riding hard), I'll eat a lot of pasta. I basically stuff my face until I can’t eat any more. Then I'll wake up in the morning and eat some pancakes, again, I eat a lot of them, and a power bar one hour before I ride. I may feel a bit full for the first half hour or so, but in an hour or so of riding the power bar kicks in, and in hour two the pancakes kick in. I'll usually eat one power bar an hour after the second hour of riding. I'll also eat almonds, pretzels, and dried apricots if I don’t feel like power bars, eat those constantly. By hour four or five the pasta starts to really pay off. It's also a good idea to have some goo to eat (I like hammer gel), and an electrolyte powder (HEED) for warm days.
When I get home from a ride I try to eat within an hour of when I get home. Your body absorbs the most amounts of nutrients after you've been riding, and helps with recovery.
Hope this helps