In my home, dinner is The Meal; the other two meals are often made from dinner leftovers if they are not something very simple and quick that each person can make when they want to eat. I do get frozen meals although takeout costs too much. My ideal is an old-fashioned White American square meal. That's one quarter animal protein, one quarter starch or grain, and one quarter each for two different vegetables. To fill in the corners (optional), there should be something with vinegar (pickles, mustard,vinaigrette...), another filling starch dish made with cheap ingredients, a drink, and something sweet (fruit counts).

Here's an example: Roasted chicken; potatoes boiled with aromatics and rolled in a little bit of olive oil before serving; microwave-steamed broccoli florets; crisp green salad with tarragon vinaigrette; fresh bread with margarine; choice of drinks; satsumas.

Unfortunately, I have an irregular work schedule and chronic pain with impaired mobility, so I can't always do that. So here are some White American dinners for people who can't stand in the kitchen for very long.

Slow cooker: Put skinless chicken thighs (be sure to thaw them all the way to the bone if they were frozen) into the cooker. You can put in as many layers as you like. Cover each one with a low sodium variety of canned condensed cream soup plus pepper and herbs of choice. Pour just half a soup can of water slowly down the side: this is all you need to stop it scorching at the bottom. Start the slow cooker, then the bread machine. Cut up some carrots and celery stalks and put them in baggies in the fridge. Go to work until after your usual dinnertime. In the evening you can serve yourself seasoned braised chicken with fresh bread and margarine, plus celery and carrot sticks.

Skillet: Peel and trim some white and/or sweet potatoes along with some onions and garlic. Heat cooking fat of choice in a skillet that has a lid. Put the chopped vegetables and aromatics into it, add salt and pepper to taste, cover, and leave to cook on medium heat until it smells cooked. (This is not a proper hash because you aren't really browning it: browning requires more cleaning later.) When it smells cooked, stir, season to taste, and stir again; you can use hot or sweet spices or herbs, whatever you like. Use this as a base for reheating cooked ham or chicken, or break eggs over the top and set them, or cube some Spam and cook it at the same time as everything else. Corn and green beans go well with this dish.

Casserole: You can make a one-dish oven meal out of so many things if you are careful about combining flavors and textures. You need a starch (cooked pasta, cooked or uncooked rice, cubed bread...); a binder (gravy, beaten egg, homemade white sauce, canned cream-of soup...); as much liquid (milk, broth, water...) as may be needed; seasonings to taste (herbs, spices, sauteed aromatics, mustard...); bite-sized pieces of cooked vegetable and/or protein; and something on top (shredded cheese, Tater Tots, crushed potato chips...). Cook in a 9x13 or 9x9 pan at 350 degrees F for 20 to 40 minutes, until bubbly and browned on top. I don't even use a recipe anymore. I can come home tired, preheat the oven, then just look in the fridge for whatever I have and put it together.

Western style soup, no recipe: Take a minute to think about what you will be cooking and pick the right combination of ingredients. If using raw meat, salt it, cut it into pieces that will fit into a spoon, saute it (adding cooking fat to the soup pot if needed) just until browned, then take it out. Now chop your aromatics and saute, again adding cooking fat as needed. When the aromatics are no longer raw, season to taste and stir until you can smell the herbs and spices. Now put the meat (if using) back in. On top of the meat pile layers of sturdy vegetables, such as carrots, cabbage, potatoes, etc., cut into pieces that will fit into a spoon. On top of that put any cooked, canned, or thawed frozen ingredients, such as beans, pasta, rice, tomatoes, leftover meat, or corn. Now carefully pour in broth or water until the uppermost ingredients are just barely poking out of the liquid. Bring to a vigorous boil, put the lid on, and then turn off the heat. Check in 20 minutes. If some ingredients are not cooked, return to a boil, put the lid on, turn the heat off, and check in 10 more minutes. Taste and adjust as needed with more seasoning. Many soups benefit from a little bit of vinegar or citrus juice at the end to brighten the flavor. This is a very thick and hearty kind of soup that can be a one-dish meal with the right ingredients.

Anyway, that's one type of White American cooking.