Most of today’s cooks don’t follow the regimented menu styles of our grandmothers who served meatloaf every Monday, fish on Friday and chicken and dumplings for Sunday dinner. But it’s still easy and comforting to fall back on favorites such as macaroni and cheese, spaghetti and meatballs, pancakes and vegetable staples like corn, green beans and tomatoes.

Without losing the soothing, cozy essence of these beloved dishes, you can add new ingredients and use different cooking and presentation techniques that give them unique tastes and textures. You may even create some new dishes that get better reviews than the old stand-bys!

Macaroni and Cheese

This simple dish has topped the “most wanted” list for kids and adults for decades, long before you could buy the pasta in a box alongside powdered cheese flavoring. Elevate it to a new level by…

• Adding a crust. Top a thin store-bought or homemade pizza crust with prepared and cooled creamy mac and cheese, sprinkle more grated cheese on top and bake until bubbly. Fill a shallow prebaked pie shell with cooked macaroni and cheese, sprinkle cooked bacon bits on top, heat through and serve like a quiche.

• Mixing in seafood. If cooked lobster is too rich for your pocketbook, sauté some fresh or frozen raw shrimp and stir into prepared mac and cheese. Drained chunks of high quality canned albacore tuna also taste good with mac and cheese. 

Spaghetti and Meatballs

Nothing can replace your pet spaghetti and meatball recipe but there’s always room for an alternate in the recipe box. For a change of pace pasta dish…

• Go light and white. Use ground chicken or turkey for the meatballs and add some finely chopped raw bacon to keep the meat moist. The same seasonings used for pork or beef are fine. Make a light béchamel sauce flavored with grated Parmesan, toss with the pasta and top with the meatballs.

Pancakes

Instead of relying on toppings to dress up pancakes, add flavor enhancers to the batter. The additions can be sweet or savory.

• Fruit. More than apples and blueberries go with pancakes. Mix in a generous portion of sweetened crème of coconut (such as Coco Lopez) and a few tablespoons of sweetened coconut into the batter. Spray the skillet frequently with cooking oil to prevent sticking – the sugar in the crème and coconut make the pancakes easily stick to the pan. For tropical pancakes, stir well-drained crushed pineapple into the batter.

 • Bacon and sausage. Cook the meat until done and slightly crispy and cut it into small pieces. Pour the batter into the skillet and sprinkle the meat on top before turning.

Vegetables

Get out of the rut of tossing a pat of butter on steamed vegetables or smothering them with a heavy cheese sauce. Their natural tastes can be showcased with a variety of simple toppings.

• Corn on the cob. Roll hot corn on the cob in heavy cream and slather it with finely grated Parmesan or Romano cheese. Add a south-of-the-border accent by lightly sprinkling buttered corn with chipotle chili powder or crushed red pepper flakes.

• Green beans. Fresh or frozen green beans tossed with a tablespoon of freshly squeezed lemon juice and topped with toasted, slivered almonds are light and satisfying. Instead of flavoring green beans with plain butter, take a few minutes to brown the butter in a skillet before adding it to green beans. Use low heat and carefully watch the butter as it will quickly burn if left unattended.

 • Tomatoes. As an alternative to simple sliced tomatoes as a side dish, cut ripe tomatoes in half with a sharp serrated knife to keep them intact. Sprinkle the cut sides with salt, pepper and fresh Parmesan and broil until the cheese melts.