Ask the Cook Jorj Morgan is the Director of Lifestyle Content for BlueSuitMom.com. Her expertise in the culinary field incorporates 25 years of entertaining as well as owning a successful catering company. She is in the process of publishing her first cookbook, "At Home In The Kitchen" due in Spring 2001. Reception Ideas Q:Elizabeth K. notes that, "My house (12 wonderful college women) is planning a reception for our parents after the Northwestern graduation ceremony. We need to feed around 60 people but were not such experienced cooks nor do we have the resources to provide our parents with the latest in gourmet cuisine. Please help? A: Your parents are so delighted in your accomplishments that anything that you serve will be "icing on the cake." Congrats to you all. The terrific news is that there are 12 of you working together. The secret to having a great party is to divide up the duties and prepare everything in advance so that you can enjoy the celebration along with your families. Here are a few ideas. Plan a buffet table and work in pairs. The pair that is the most behind in term papers or studying for exams can purchase festive paper products like plates, napkins, glasses, etc. Another pair can plan the bar complete with beverages and ice. That leaves appetizers, a main dish, side dishes and dessert. Place all of the food on the same table. Build a centerpiece by laying each one of your caps at angles on top of each other. Choose dishes that can be served cold or at room temperature so that you are not vying for oven space at the last minute. If you are at a loss for recipe ideas, why not consider your own personal family favorite? Imagine the thrill of your family members when they realize that each dish comes from family tradition. Here are a few buffet dish suggestions that may inspire your choices. Starters: Chilled spinach dip served with salsa and tortilla chips. Roasted eggplant dip spread on crackers. Cooked shrimp marinated in lime juice, garlic, olive oil, vinegar and a dash of sugar served on cucumber rounds. Or, a simply made-in-advance cold soup like gazpacho ladled from a huge bowl into mugs or plastic glasses. Main Dish Salads: Pasta salad made with a combination of pasta, veggies, and perhaps some cubed chicken or turkey marinated in any one of a dozen salad dressings. Grilled Lime Chicken Salad - an easy make ahead salad combining marinated chicken with colorful fresh veggies. Cold oriental salad made with sliced flank steak and seasoned with a dressing made from 1 part sugar, 2 parts soy sauce and 3 parts rice wine vinegar. Side Dishes: A freshly tossed salad filled with chopped veggies. A platter of sliced tomatoes and mozzarella garnished with fresh basil. A basket of freshly baked crusty bread. Couscous salad flavored with lemon, spring onions and garnished with Parmesan cheese. Dessert: The obvious perfect choice is a huge graduation sheet cake with each one one of your names iced on the top. Add some fun by serving sundaes alongside the cake. Take a large bowl and fill it with scoops of several flavors of ice cream. You can all choose your favorites. Chill the bowl in the freezer until you are ready to serve. Use small bowls to hold all of your favorite toppings such as chocolate sauce, caramel sauce, marshmallow cream, coconut, m & m candies, chocolate sprinkles, chopped nuts and chopped Oreo cookies. Let everyone create their own ice cream treat while you and your families enjoy the celebration that you deserve. The recipes: • Grilled Lime Chicken Salad More feasting challenges: • What are some tasty alcoholic beverages I can serve for brunch? • Getting the whole family to eat together • Planning a dinner party • Quick and healthy midweek meal