easy-to-prepare chicken-based meals on family and friends. They're perfect for the warm evenings that lie ahead: SPRING MENU NUMBER ONE Mixed Green Salad with Spring Radishes Blue Cheese Dressing Oven-Fried Chicken Wings with Chili Barbecue Sauce Fresh Asparagus with Browned Shallots Drop Biscuits Grandmother's Sand Cookies Strawberries and Cream This is a casual meal eaten mostly with your fingers, so serve it to family or good friends -- folks who won't mind if you wind up with Chili Barbecue Sauce on your chin.

BLUE CHEESE DRESSING Makes about 1 cup My husband's favourite. One of mine, too, since it takes only minutes to make (or make ahead).

1 lb. blue cheese 5 tbsps. mayonnaise 5 tbsps. sour cream 2 tbsps. water 2 tbsps. red or white wine vinegar Fresh pepper to taste PUREE half the blue cheese with all the other ingredients, including a generous grinding of fresh pepper. Crumble and add the rest of the blue cheese, stir well and use to dress a mixed green salad.

OVEN-FRIED CHICKEN WINGS WITH CHILI BARBECUE SAUCE Makes plenty for 6.

This is definitely finger food, crisp and crunchy without being greasy, and ready for dipping in piquant barbecue sauce. The Ritz crackers really make this chicken, but no one will guess you used them unless you choose to tell.

Butter or margarine, room temperature, for greasing the pans 24 chicken wings, wing tips removed 11 cups evaporated milk (one 12-ounce can) 1 pound Ritz crackers, crushed to fine crumbs (about 21 cups) Note: Crush with a rolling pin or in your food processor 1 tsp. salt Fresh pepper Chili Barbecue Sauce (recipe follows) PREHEAT the oven to 375 degrees F. Line two baking sheets or jelly-roll pans with foil; brush foil generously with butter or margarine.

Place the chicken wings in a large bowl and pour the evaporated milk over them. Stir to moisten thoroughly.

In another bowl or on a large piece of wax paper, mix together the cracker crumbs, salt and a good grinding of fresh pepper. One at a time, dredge the chicken wings in crumbs and transfer to the foil-lined baking sheets, making 1 layer of wings on each sheet.

Bake for 45-55 minutes, or until the chicken is tender. Serve hot or cold with Chili Barbecue Sauce on the side for dipping.

CHILI BARBECUE SAUCE Makes about 2 cups 11 cups drained and finely chopped canned Italian-style tomatoes (about one 35-ounce can) 1 cup chopped onion (about 1 small onion) 3 tbsps. tomato paste 1 cup water 1 cup cider vinegar 2 tbsps. (packed) brown sugar 2 tsps. dry mustard 1 tsp. hot red pepper flakes Pinch of celery seed Salt and pepper to taste IN an uncovered, nonreactive saucepan (stainless steel, enamelled, etc.) simmer all the ingredients for 30 minutes stirring often. Serve warm or cool.

STRAWBERRIES RINSE well and pat dry on paper towels. Hull the berries (remove the stems and leaves) only if they are to be eaten with a spoon. Refrigerate and use within a day or two.

Strawberries and cream: Hull and slice berries or cut in wedge-shaped quarters. Stir berries with a little superfine sugar and serve with a pitcher of heavy cream or with softly whipped, lightly sweetened cream.

FRESH ASPARAGUS WITH BROWNED SHALLOTS Makes enough for 6 Asparagus -- especially the pencil-thin size that is usually available only in spring -- is a treat not to be missed. It's best eaten with your fingers, just like the oven-fried chicken.

2 tbsps. olive oil 1 tbsp. butter 1 lb. shallots, minced 21 lbs. thin asparagus, woody stems snapped off Salt HEAT the olive oil and butter in a large skillet. Add the minced shallots and saute over low heat until very soft and lightly browned. Set the skillet aside.

Cook the asparagus by your favourite method. Do not overcook; it should be just crisp-tender. Drain well and place the spears in the large skillet with the shallots.

Salt the asparagus lightly and smear the shallot mixture all over the asparagus. Warm thoroughly over low heat without letting the shallots burn.

DROP BISCUITS Makes 18 biscuits These biscuits are a snap to make. They freeze well, too, so if 18 is not enough for your biscuit-loving crowd, double the recipe and freeze any leftovers.

2 cups flour 1 tsp. salt 2 tsps. baking powder 6 tbsps. cold margarine, cut in pats 1 cup milk PREHEAT the oven to 425 degrees F.; grease two baking sheets. Put the flour, salt and baking powder in a food processor and process briefly to combine.

Add the margarine and process until the mixture resembles corn meal; do not over process. Turn out into a bowl.

Add the milk and stir just until all the ingredients are well moistened. The dough will be soft and sticky. Drop heaping tablespoons of dough onto the greased baking sheets, leaving 1 inch between biscuits.

Bake for 15 minutes, or until well browned on the bottom and lightly browned on top. Serve immediately or set aside until needed; reheat the biscuits in a low oven before serving.

Note: Frozen biscuits should be thawed and then reheated in a low oven.

Marvellous meals just made for a spring celebration From Page 26 GRANDMOTHER'S SAND COOKIES Makes about five dozen cookies This recipe is adapted from a family favourite contributed by Susan Sprott.

For Christmas and other major occasions, Susan triples the amount. Make the cookies ahead, if you like, and freeze until needed; bring to room temperature before serving.

13 cups flour 1 tsp. salt 1 tsp. baking powder 8 tbsps. (1 stick) butter, room temperature 3 cup sugar 2 egg yolks 1 tbsp. milk or cream 1 tsp. vanilla extract Grated rind from 1 medium lemon (about 11 tsps.) IN a small bowl, stir together the flour, salt and baking powder. Set aside.

In a large bowl, cream the butter and sugar. Add the egg yolks, milk or cream, vanilla and grated lemon rind and beat well.

Gradually add the dry ingredients, blending well after each addition. Divide the dough in half, shape each half into a flat round and wrap in plastic.

Chill for about 1 hour, just until cool and firm enough to roll.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F., grease 2 baking sheets.

On a lightly floured surface, roll out 1 package of dough to 1 inch thick.

Cut with your favourite cookie cutters and transfer the cookies to a baking sheet, leaving 1 inch between cookies. Save the excess dough for rerolling.

Bake for 9-11 minutes, or until the cookies are pale tan on top and golden on the edges. Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet on a wire rack for five minutes, then transfer the cookies to the rack to finish cooling.

While the first sheet is baking, roll and cut another batch of cookies and place them on the second baking sheet. Continue in this manner until the dough is used up or you have as many cookies as you want. Freeze any extra dough for use at another time.

SPRING MENU NUMBER 5 Peas and Lettuce Salad with Mustard Dressing Roasted Chicken with Herb and Garlic Butter Dorothy's Baby Artichokes Mango-Lime Tart An early spring Saturday or Sunday is the perfect occasion for setting a pretty table and inviting guests to celebrate the changing season.

PEAS AND LETTUCE SALAD WITH MUSTARD DRESSING Makes enough for 6 Note the new peas and sugar snaps -- a real spring salad to whet your appetite for the roasted chicken that follows.

1 lb. new green peas in the pod 1 -1 lb. sugar snap peas 9-10 cups (loosely packed) bite-size pieces Boston or Bib lettuce and sprigs of watercress Mustard Dressing (recipe follows) SHELL the new green peas and boil for about 10 minutes or until tender; drain immediately and cool quickly under cold running water. Break the stems off the sugar snap peas and pull to remove the strings.

In a large bowl, toss the lettuce and watercress with Mustard Dressing; divide the greens equally among individual salad plates. Sprinkle each with cooked peas and garnish with sugar snap peas.

MUSTARD DRESSING Makes about 1 cup 1 cup balsamic, red wine or white wine vinegar 3 cup vegetable oil 3 tbsps. Dijon-style prepared mustard 1 tsp. salt 1 tsp. sugar Fresh pepper BLEND the ingredients in a food processor or whisk them together by hand, adding fresh pepper to taste.

ROASTED CHICKEN WITH HERB AND GARLIC BUTTER Makes plenty for 6 A modest but tasty chicken dish that takes only a short time to prepare.

Before roasting, the chickens are butterflied (split and opened out), and a tarragon-flavoured butter is rubbed between the skin and the flesh to make the birds moist and juicy.

2 chickens, about 31 lbs. each 4 tbsps. (1 stick) butter, room temperature 6 cloves garlic, minced 1 tsp. dried tarragon, powdered Salt Fresh pepper PREHEAT the oven to 375 degrees F. Have ready a large roasting pan with a rack.

Butterfly each chicken: Place the chicken, breast down, on a cutting board.

Using a cleaver, whack through the backbone (or, if you prefer, snip through the backbone with poultry sheers) until it splits and you can open out the chicken. Now, with the inside of the chicken facing up, hack lightly through the wishbone and breastbone (with the cleaver or a heavy knife), just enough to get the butterflied chicken fairly flat. Be careful not to cut all the way through. Pull off and discard any splinters and chips of bone you find along any of the cut edges. Turn the chicken over, skin side up.

Carefully loosen the skin over the breasts, legs and thighs by sliding your hand between the skin and meat.

Mash together the butter, garlic, tarragon, 1 teaspoon of salt and a generous grinding of pepper.

Apply half the butter mixture to 1 chicken: With your fingers, smear most of the butter directly on the flesh (under the skin) of the breast, legs and thighs; smear the remaining butter on the skin, including the wings. Repeat with the second half of the butter mixture and the second chicken.

Place the chickens side by side on the roasting pan rack, skin side up, legs and wings on top. Sprinkle with a little more salt.

Bake for 11 hours, basting occasionally, until done. Let the chicken rest for 10 minutes and then carve. Serve hot or warm. If you like, make gravy from the pan drippings.

DOROTHY'S BABY ARTICHOKES Makes enough for 6 Dorothy Berini was a wonderful Italian cook from San Rafael, California, who grumbled while she cooked and left the dish washing for lesser talents.

Dorothy wouldn't but I do sometimes make the artichokes ahead and reheat them in a skillet or eat them at room temperature.

3 lbs. baby artichokes 11 tbsps. butter 11 tbsps. olive oil 21 tbsps. minced shallots 2 or 3 cloves garlic, minced Salt 3 tbsps. water Juice of 1 medium lemon Fresh pepper PREPARE the artichokes: Cut off the stem ends close to the globes, peel off leaves until you're down to the ones that are yellow at the stem ends and pale green at the tips; cut off at least 1 inch of the tip of each artichoke.

Note: It may seem like a lot of waste, but you must remove the tough, fibrous leaves and the tops of the inner leaves in order to eat the tender leaves and heart of each baby artichoke.

Cut each baby artichoke in half, from tip to stem end.

Note: It is not necessary to drop the cut artichokes into acidulated water.

Melt the butter and oil in a large, nonreactive skillet (stainless steel, enamel, etc.) over medium heat. Add the artichokes, shallots, garlic and sprinkling of salt and stir well. Cover the skillet and cook, stirring occasionally, for about 10 minutes or until slightly browned on both sides.

Turn off the heat.

Add the water and lemon juice, cover the skillet and let the artichokes steam (with the heat off) for 5 minutes. Season with salt and freshly ground pepper, and stir well to get all the browned bits off the bottom of the skillet.

Serve hot or at room temperature.

MANGO LIME TART Makes 1 tart A tart so elegant that it is simply a disk of crisp puff pastry topped with fresh mangoes and lime glaze. Serve it by itself or with vanilla ice cream, or omit the pistachios and serve with butter pecan or butter almond ice cream.

Note: Don't panic -- you're not expected to make puff pastry. Use the ready-made, frozen kind.

1 sheet frozen puff pastry (one-half 16 oz. package) Cream and sugar for brushing and sprinkling on the pastry 2 tbsps. fresh lime juice 2 tbsps. sugar 2 large or 3 medium-size ripe mangoes 2 tbsps. chopped unsalted pistachio nuts 1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

THAW and unfold the sheet of puff pastry according to the directions on the package. Roll out the dough just until it is large enough to cut a 10-inch round (trace around a cake or tart pan). Slide the pastry round onto a baking sheet, brush with cream and sprinkle with sugar. Prick the round all over with fork.

Bake for 10 minutes; prick again with a fork or the point of a knife to deflate the pastry. Be sure to push the fork or knife in far enough to let steam escape; you will see the pastry collapse. Bake 15 more minutes, until golden.

Note: During the 15-minute baking period, the pastry may puff up again. If it does, deflate after 10 minutes, then finish baking for 5 more minutes. Total baking time: 25 minutes.

Allow the pastry to cool on the baking sheet and then transfer it to a serving platter.

Bring the lime juice and sugar to a boil in an nonreactive saucepan (stainless steel, enamel, etc.) and boil for 1 minute to make a glaze. This glaze, should you happen to taste it, will remind you of lime lollipops. Fortunately, it tastes completely different when brushed on the mangoes.

Thinly peel the mangoes. Cut 1 -inch-thick strips of the flesh, slicing from the stem end to the bottom of the fruit.

Note: Mangoes are not easy to cut, since the flesh is slippery and the pit is large and oddly textured. Just do the best you can.

Brush a little of the glaze on the baked pastry. Lay the mango slices on the pastry as neatly as you can, staring at the outer edge and overlapping the slices. Brush lime glaze on the mango slices and sprinkle with the chopped pistachios.

Serve at room temperature, cut in wedges, with or without ice cream.