Classic Canapes

• Appetizers were once known more widely by the terms canapés or hors d’ouevres. Spreads made from cream cheese blended with fried, chopped bacon are ideal toppers for toast points. Or mix up a spread of dried, chipped beef with horseradish and cream cheese. Make a retro cheese ball by mixing cream cheese and herbs, including chives, parsley or cracked pepper, and rolling it into a ball. Combine blue cheese or grated cheddar with cream cheese and chopped nuts. Add Worcestershire, olives or pimentos, then roll it into a log and served with your favorite crackers. Bite-sized bits of cooked hot dogs, sausages or crusty bread are perfect dunkers for a classic Swiss cheese fondue.

Dinner Dishes

• To go back to the future, whip up a dinner of salmon croquettes with an egg-cheese sauce that doubles as a drizzle for steamed asparagus. A simple gelatin dessert completes the meal. For a special meal, serve crab meat Maryland with a basic lettuce and tomato salad. Apple pie a la mode with a wedge of sharp cheddar is the perfect finish. Serve the meal with a traditional side of peas and carrots and warm biscuits. And, of course, coffee caps off all good dinner meals.

One-Dish Wonders

• Back in the day, one-dish meals were a way to maximize time so dinner preparation wasn’t an all-day affair. For more than a couple of generations, a variation on Chinese food made the home meal seem exotic, and chicken chow mein and chop suey were simplified for the home cook. Leftover ham does double duty when mixed with Swiss cheese and chopped broccoli or cauliflower, and covered in seasoned bread crumbs or thinly sliced potatoes. Sliced frankfurters mixed with macaroni and cheese is a quick old-school classic destined to please.

Manly Meals

• A steak dinner is an easy feat when baked potatoes or corn on the cob are roasted alongside on the grill. A hobo dinner with foil packets of burgers or chicken topped with the family's favorite vegetables and barbecue sauce stand the test of time. Chili con carne is a classic that is modernized and lightened with ground turkey or chicken. If there’s a little leftover in the budget at the end of the week, let Dad wrestle the lobster tails before steaming them in a pot.