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June schedules are full of graduations, Father’s Day, weddings and other end of the school year events. Coordinating meals often requires flexible dishes, no fuss and the ability to hold warm while waiting for diners. Pork Chop-Rice Bake, another recipe submitted by Mary White of Spokane Valley fits this description.

Mary states she received this recipe from her high school best friend, who often makes this recipe when entertaining visitors. The recipe can be prepared, frozen, then thawed and baked. I found the recipe holds well when dinner runs late.

Pork Chop-Rice Bake

6 pork chops

Salt, pepper and poultry seasoning to taste

1 cup uncooked, regular long grain rice

2 1/2 cups water

1 can (10 1/2 ounces) chicken rice soup

1 can (10 1/2 ounces) cream of mushroom soup

1 jar (4 ounces) diced pimentos

2 Tbsp parsley flakes

6 onion slices

Paprika, optional

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Brown pork chops. (I used a tablespoon bacon fat, but any cooking oil will work) Season to taste with salt, pepper and poultry seasoning.

In a 9 x 13-inch baking dish, mix together the uncooked rice, water, soups, pimento and parsley flakes. Arrange chops on rice. Top each with an onion slice. Sprinkle with paprika if desired.

Bake covered, for 1 hour and 15 minutes. Yield: 6 servings.

Note: you could substitute a cup peas, corn or mixed vegetables for the pimento, if pimento is not your family’s taste. Also, if you are using boneless chops, you could fit 8 chops into the 9 x 13-inch baking pan.

The addition of a summer fruit salad or fruit platter to any menu rounds out celebration and summer meals. Rhubarb is in season and combined with strawberries make a tangy salad. Mrs. Jerry (Barb) Walter shared this recipe with me several years ago. You can make this recipe with frozen rhubarb but it sets up better made with fresh.

Barb’s Strawberry Rhubarb Salad

6 cups sliced fresh rhubarb (drain well if using frozen)

1 cup water

1 cup granulated sugar

2 large packages (6 ounces each) strawberry gelatin

2 cups reconstituted orange juice

24 ounces frozen, sliced strawberries, partially thawed

This recipe sets slowly so you want to make at least 24 hours before you plan to serve.

Combine rhubarb, water and sugar in a large non-reactive saucepan and cook over medium heat until rhubarb is soft. Remove from heat and add strawberry gelatin and stir until gelatin is thoroughly dissolved. This can take 5 to 10 minutes.

Stir in orange juice, then partially frozen strawberries, stirring until strawberries are completely thawed. Pour into a 9 x 13-inch glass pan or 12 cup serving bowl. Yield: 15-18 servings.

Note: Pineapple juice may be substituted for the orange juice. You may use sugar-free gelatin, but it slows setting even more. Nutra Sweet or Slenda can be used in place of the granulated sugar, adding with the orange juice, as cooking these products can produce a bitter taste.

Very Berry Cheesecake Salad is a quick to fix impressive salad for potluck meals or barbeques. This sweet salad is a festive way to serve in-season berries. Adjust the amounts of each berry to suit your tastes. I received this recipe from my sister-in-law, the late Tamara Bubemyer over a decade ago.

Very Berry Cheesecake Salad

8 ounces cream cheese, softened

1/2 cup granulated sugar

8 ounces whipped topping, thawed

3 cups sliced strawberries

1 cup black berries

1 cup blueberries

1 cup raspberries

In a large bowl, beat together cream cheese and sugar until smooth and creamy. Fold in the thawed whipped topping.

Just before serving, carefully fold strawberries, blackberries, blueberries and raspberries into the creamed mixture. Serve immediately. Yield 8 to 10 servings.

Note: I have made this with just strawberries and blueberries when blackberry and raspberry selections were not up to par. Also, I have used 8 ounces of whipping cream, whipped, in place of the whipped topping.

Orange Slaw is a great barbeque side, and if you like fish tacos, this is a crunchy addition to your tacos. The addition of the optional mandarin orange elevates the salad to a fruit and vegetable serving.

Orange Slaw

Dressing:

1/2 cup fresh orange juice

1/4 cup rice wine vinegar

1/4 cup canola oil

1 Tbsp honey

Salad:

3 pounds shredded red cabbage

1 small red onion, quartered and sliced thin

Salt and pepper to taste

Optional: 16 ounce can mandarin oranges, well drained.

Combine salad dressing ingredients until well combined.

Place salad ingredients in a large bowl and pour dressing evenly over all. Toss gently to thoroughly coat salad ingredients. Let stand 30 minutes before serving. Yield: 14 to 18 side servings.

Note: green cabbage works just as well, and any sweet onion may be substituted.

I recently discovered several friends who prefer Roquefort Dressing on their green salads. Creamy Roquefort Dressing was my dad’s favorite and he preferred freshly made over bottled.

Creamy Roquefort Dressing

3/4 cup mayonnaise

1/4 cup crumbled Roquefort cheese

1/4 cup milk

1 tsp Worcestershire sauce

1/8 tsp garlic salt

1/8 tsp white pepper

Combine all ingredients and refrigerate 1 hour to blend flavors. Yield: about 1 cup.

Share your favorite summer recipes with your fellow readers by sending them to: Welcome to My Kitchen, c/o the Record Times, P.O. Box 458, Odessa, WA, 99159, email [email protected] or drop them in the Welcome to My Kitchen mail tin in The Odessa Record Office. Some areas of our readership experience a very late frost in the last week, but in most cases, it was not a killing frost, so trimming dead leaves and usual care should bring those plants around.