June menus: a chili dog picnic, three-flavor chicken wing barbecue, school's-out pizza party - recipes

Sunset, June, 1984

Greeting summer is what June and these menus are about. There's picnic featuring chili to eat in a nonwintry way--out-of-hand. A barbecue supper offers chicken wings flavored three ways: you could call it a tasting. And to celebrate the beginning of vacation, we suggest an end-of-school pizza party for freshly released scholars to share with family or friends.

Chili picnic

Instead of plates, spoon this mild beef-and-frankfurter chili into toasted rolls and vegetable cups to hold and eat. Cookies with white chocolate chips are a winning variation on the old favorite. Peas in Pods No-Plate Chili and Dogs White Chocolate Chip Cookes Assorted Beverages

You can make the chili and the cookies several days ahead. A day before or early the day of the picnic, prepare everything else but the toast boats; these are best made just before you leave--perhaps as you reheat the chili and pack. Allow at least a half-dozen peas for each person.

Use one insulated container for hot chili, a second one for cold foods. No-plate Chili and Dogs

1 pound ground lean beef

1 large onion, chopped

1/4 cup chili powder

2 teaspoons sugar

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1/2 teaspoon crushed dried hot red chilies

1 large can (1 lb. 13 oz.) tomato puree

1 cup water

Beans (directions follow)

Salt

7 or 8 frankfurters

Toast boats (recipe follows)

3 small green or red bell peppers, cored, seeded, and cut in half lengthwise

About 12 romaine lettuce leaves, washed and crisped

2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese

1 cup chopped onion

Crumble beef into a 5- to 6-quart pan. Add onion and cook, stirring, over medium-high heat until onion is limp, about 15 minutes. Stir in chili powder, sugar, cumin, crushed chilies, tomato puree, water, and beans. Cover and simmer, stirring occasionaly, until beans are very tender to bite, about 1 hour. Salt to taste. (At this point, you can let chili cool, then cover and chill up to 2 days; reheat, covered, stiring occasionaly.)

Cut frankfurters diagonally into 1/2-inch-thick slices. Stir into chili. Heat, covered, about 5 minutes. Wrap pan in 25 to 30 sheets of newspaper; put in an insulated chest and fill any space with crumple newspaper to keep chili hot up to 2 hours.

To eat, spoon some chili into a toast boat, a pepper half, or lettuce leaf; top with cheese and onion. Serves 5 or 6.

Beans. Sort 1/2 pound (1-1/4 cups) pinto beans to remove debris. Rinse beans and put in a 5- to 6-quart pan; add 2-1/2 quarts water. Cover and bring to a boil on high heat; reduce heat and simmer 1-1/2 hours. Drain beans. Use, or let cool, cover, and chill up to 2 days.

Toast boats. Cut 5 or 6 sandwich (4 to 5 in. long) in half lengthwise. Pull out interioir of rolls to make shells that are about 1/4 inch thick (save insides and make bread crumbs). Set shells, hollow sides up, on a 10- by 15-inch ungreased baking sheet. Brush insides of shells evenly with 1/2 cup (1/4 lb.) melted butter or margarine. Bake in a 350[deg.] oven until rolls are dry, about 10 minutes. Serve warm or let cool to room temperature (about 10 minutes) so boats will stay crisp when packed. White Chocolate Chip Cookies

With an electric mixer, beat together 1 cup (1/2 lb.) butter or margarine, 1-1/2 cups sugar, 2 teaspoons baking soda, and 1 egg. Blend in 1 cup all-purpose flour, 2 cups quick-cooking rolled oats, and 6 ounces coarsely chopped (1-1/4 cups) white chocolate (also called white candy coating .

Shape dough into 3/4-inch balls and set 2 inches apart on ungreased baking sheets. Bake in a 350[deg.] oven until light golden, 10 ro 12 minutes. Cool on pan until firm; with a wide spatula, transfer to racks to cool completely. Serve, or wrap airtight and let stand as long as overnight; freeze to store longer. Makes about 5 dozen.--Angela Di vecchio, San Franciso.

Chicken wing barbecue

Since wings are small, everyone will want at least one seasoned by each marinade. Three-flavor Chicken Wings Corn on the Cob Lime Wedges Butter Mixed Green Salad Boysenberries and Melon Dry White Jug Wine Bottled Water

There are three steps for the chicken wings; first they marinate, then bake, and finally brown on the grill. You can marinate them as much as 2 days ahead and do the baking step the day before. If you want to do all preparation in one day, allow 5 hours for the whole process.

Once underway, the meal goes fast. Wash and crisp the salad greens first. As the wings barbecue, cook the corn and dress the salad. Spoon boysenberries onto wedges of Crenshaw melon or cantaloupe. Three-flavor Chicken Wings

6 pounds chicken wings

Teriyaki and Dijon marinades (recipes follow)

1 cup (8-oz. bottle) hickory-flavored barbecue sauce

Rinse wings and pat dry. Divide into three portions and put each in a heavy plastic bag. Add teriyaki mixture to one, Dijon to the second, barbecue sauce to the third; mix chicken to coat with the marinade and twist each bag shut. Chill 4 hours or as long as overnigth.

Lift out wings and arrange each batch in a 9- or 10-inch ungreased pie pan. Bake, uncovered, in a 425[deg.] oven for 30 minutes. (At this point, you can let wings stand up to 2 hours; or cover and refrigerate as long as overnigth.)