Cherry Lemonade Fizz [check mark]

Plan for plenty to drink, especially if it's a hot day. To be sure you have enough to quench the thirst of party-goers, count on 2 (8 oz.) cups per person. That's a lot to drink, but remember that it's summer in fact, if not officially, that you're serving salty chips and that this, after all, is a party. Each 12-ounce can of lemonade will make 2 quarts, or enough for 8 drinks.

The punch makes use of grenadine, a syrup that gives drinks a red cherrylike color and flavor. Although food encyclopedias say it comes in both alcoholic and nonalcoholic versions, local liquor stores report unfamiliarity with an alcohol version. The nonalcoholic flavoring turns soda pop into kiddie cocktails in such drinks as the Shirley Temple (7-Up and grenadine) and the Roy Rogers (cola and grenadine). Use the grenadine sparingly; too much turns a drink cloyingly sweet. Grenadine is available in supermarkets in the beverage-mix aisle, as well as at liquor stores.

1 (12 oz.) can frozen lemonade, thawed (or other lemonade mix to make 2 quarts)

6½ c. sparkling water (or enough to make 2 quarts)

2 tbsp. grenadine

Ice ring, if desired (see Note below)

Maraschino cherries, slices of oranges, lemons or limes, for garnish

If the beverage is served from a punch bowl, place fruit on drink skewers and have ready on a plate nearby. Or serve the fruit in individual bowls near the punch with a fork or tong for guests to take freely. Makes 8 (8 oz.) servings.

Note: To make ice ring, prepare additional punch using plain rather than sparkling water and fill mold with it. Add cherries or other fruit to mold. Freeze.

Variation with frozen pops: The punch also can be used to make terrific frozen treats for a hot day. Kids (even big kids) especially like a marachino cherry dropped into the bottom of the frozen-pop container. To make the frozen pops, use either leftover punch or make more using plain water. Place in small paper cups or in plastic molds. Partially freeze, then push a wooden stick or plastic spoon into each container to be used as a handle. Freeze.

Avocado and Roasted Red Pepper Dip Think guacamole, only better. The roasted peppers give this dip a slightly sweet, smoky flavor. The dip doesn't need sour cream, but that does extend it nicely for a large crowd. With avocados in season, they should be available in nearly-ripe condition, which is good news for cooks. To speed up the last-minute process of making this dip -- necessary because the avocado discolors after awhile -- use the already-roasted red peppers now available in a jar (though you can make your own, if you have the time and energy). The dip should be prepared right before serving. Plan on about 1/3 cup dip per person.

3 avocados

½ to 1 c. sour cream, if desired

½ c. or more diced roasted red peppers

Salt and white pepper to taste

Peel the avocado. Cut in half, manuevering carefully around the pit within. Dice the avocado and slightly mash with fork. In a bowl toss avocado with the lemon juice (this keeps the avocado from discoloring for awhile). If using sour cream, add now and thoroughly combine. Add the red peppers, salt and pepper.

Serve with chips (the new brightly colored vegetable chips are particularly nice). With the addition of sour cream, makes about 3½ cups, or enough for about 10 guests.

To caramelize onions, they are cooked slowly over low heat. It takes time -- up to 1½ hours, depending on the pan used and how many onions are cooking -- but it's no effort at all. Just put the onions on the stove to cook and then do something else, checking on the onions every once in a while -- clean house, garden or wash the car and cook at the same time.

The onions cook faster in a shallow pan than in one with tall sides, such as a Dutch oven. But the latter may be necessary because of the sheer amount of onion, which eventually cooks down to a much smaller amount (4 big onions caramelize into 1 cup). Since the process takes so long, you may want to double the amount of onions to cook at one time for extra batches.

You can prepare the onions in advance and freeze them for later use. Better yet, make a bunch to freeze so you can pull them out anytime for summer guests. The recipe calls for big onions, but that's strictly to cut the peeling time for the cook. Plan on about 1/3 cup dip per person.

4 large onions, preferably sweet such as Vidalia

1 tbsp. olive oil

2 tbsp. lemon juice

Salt and white pepper to taste

Chopped chives, for garnish

Coarsely chop onions. Add olive oil to large frying (or braising) pan or Dutch oven and heat. (The frying pan is preferable because the caramelizing process will go faster.)

Cook onions slowly over low to medium heat until the moisture leaves the onions and they turn lightly brown and become nearly a puree as they caramelize. This takes a long time, at least 1 hour and maybe more depending on the type of pan you're using and the amount of onions. Don't give up and turn up the heat to high or the onions will burn.

To finish dip, mash the onions with a fork. Stir onions into the sour cream. Add the lemon juice, salt and white pepper to taste.

To serve, garnish with chives, if desired. Serve with chips or vegetables. Makes 3 cups, or enough for about 9 guests.

Chicken Feta Salad Toss this together the day it will be served. Adapted from D'Amico & Sons of Minneapolis.

8 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves

Salt and pepper

3 medium-size tomatoes, chopped

1 c. pitted kalamata (Greek) olives

1 c. crumbled feta cheese

½ c. chopped parsley

½ c. Italian dressing, commercially made (Parmesan Italian is especially good)

Boil pasta in salted water. Cook slightly more than al dente, drain and let cool; set aside.

In a large bowl combine chicken, tomatoes, pasta, olives, feta cheese and parsley; toss with Italian dressing. Makes 16 (½ cup) servings.

Grilled Individual Pizzas Begin with either homemade or commerical pizza crusts. For either, you will need a covered grill to finish the pizzas.

2 envelopes dry yeast

½ tsp. sugar

3½ c. bread flour or unbleached all-purpose flour

1 tsp. salt

Olive oil

Commercial pizza sauce (squeeze bottles are useful)

Variety of pizza toppings (cheese, vegetables, meats, as desired)

To make dough by hand: Add yeast mixture to flour and salt in a large bowl and knead until dough is combined. The dough will be sticky; do not add more flour.

(To make dough with food processor, add flour and salt to the food processor. With motor running, pour yeast mixture, as described above, through feed tube and continue processing until dough forms into a ball, about 10 to 20 seconds.If dough needs a little more water to combine, add it a tablespoon at a time.)

Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Knead, adding a little flour if necessary, for 5 to 10 minutes until dough is no longer sticky.

Lightly oil dough and place in a high-sided bowl large enough to allow it to double in volume. Cover bowl tightly with plastic wrap. Let stand at room temperature for at least 1 hour, or until doubled in volume. Dough then can be refrigerated for several hours or overnight. Do not punch dough down.

With floured hands, carefully remove dough from bowl. Pull off enough dough to make a ball 2½ to 3 inches in diameter. Refrigerate other dough when not being used. Roll out dough into a 5-or 6-inch circle. Place on lightly greased cookie sheet. Prepare remaining dough into individual pizzas (9 in all).

To grill pizzas: Bring coals to medium heat (you should be able to hold your hand over the coals for 3 to 5 seconds). You don't want a blast furnace effect or the pizzas will burn. Have the grill raised as far from the coals as possible.

Have pizza sauce and toppings ready so guests can choose. Keep in mind that the fewer ingredients the better for grilled pizza so they will warm and the cheese will melt BEFORE the pizza burns. Place pizzas on grill and cover, watching carefully. If pizzas are being added frequently to grill (which is likely with a crowd), place a pie pan over each pizza to maintain steady heat. Watch the pizzas carefully, because grilling will only take a few minutes.

For a larger crowd, you may want to use a couple of grills.

This recipe makes 9 (5-to 6-inch) pizzas.

Celebration Cookies Cookie cutters in the shape of large numerals can be hard to find, but you can make templates out of cardboard and cut around them for cookies if you are so inspired. Or use any cut-out shape your graduate prefers. Even a cookie shaped as a simple circle will look lovely, like a fruit tart.

1 (8 oz.) tub cream cheese (preferrably whipped variety)

1 to 2 tbsp. sugar

1 tbsp. milk, or enough to thin

Small fresh fruit, such as berries, or kiwi cut in pieces

Roll out dough ¼-inch thick on lightly floured board. Use cookie cutters to cut shapes; place on lightly-greased cookie sheet. Bake according to package directions. Cool and store cookies in air-tight container. (Or freeze in same.)

Variation: A commercial cream-cheese frosting could be substituted for the homemade.