When grilling is on the menu for Father's Day, many families report that Dad still prefers to be king of the cooks rather than get waited on hand and foot.

If your father is such a nice guy that he still wants to grill the grub for the whole group, consider taking some of the heat off of him by offering to be his sous chef (second in command in the culinary world) and assemble some sassy sides — and a terrific three-part strawberry sundae from the new cookbook "The Soda Fountain: Floats, Sundaes, Egg Creams & More — Stories and Flavors of an American Original" by Gia Giasullo and Peter Freeman, owners of the famed Brooklyn Farmacy & Soda Fountain.

The best part of this strategy is that even when accompaniments are innovative, they are still usually simple and economical, like the fruity sugar-free soda pop-packed baked beans or daring chili-filled double-baked potatoes that follow.

Make sure if kids are the sous chefs that, of course, they are fully supervised by Dad or another adult. At the end of the gala, finish your sous chef shift by further helping out Dad by thoroughly cleaning the completely cool grill and washing barbecue utensils. Hopefully, not much dish duty will be needed, since, if you ate outdoors, you may have turned to paper or plasticware for ease and safety.

Much of the fun fare like this also proves cooking can be easy, nutritious, economical, fun — and fast. Most take just 10 seconds each to read, and they are almost that quick to prepare. The creative combinations are delicious proof that everyone has time for tasty home cooking and, more importantly, the healthy family togetherness that goes along with it!

Another benefit: You effortlessly become a better cook, since there are no right or wrong amounts. These are virtually can't-go-wrong combinations, so whatever you — or your kid helpers — choose to use, you can't help but draw "wows" from everyone — especially Dad.

Better Beans: Add sugar-free cherry or sugar-free orange soda to a bubbling pot of store-bought or homemade baked beans, as well as ground cinnamon, thick bite-sized chunks of cooked ham and quickly grilled or broiled pieces of red onion.

Potatoes for Pop: Bake potatoes, carefully scoop out insides and combine with cooked store-bought or homemade chili, nonfat sour cream, shredded pepper jack cheese and diced red bell pepper. Refill potato skins and reheat until bubbling.

Creative Corn Salad: Cook corn, let cool, and combine with sliced fresh mushrooms, peeled and sliced jicama (a delicious, economical choice in most produce sections), drained mandarin orange slices that were canned in no-sugar-added fruit juice that you reserve, chopped walnuts or hazelnuts (usually found in the baking aisle of most supermarkets). Top with a dressing that's a mixture of champagne vinegar, olive oil, the reserved fruit juice from the mandarin oranges and freshly ground black pepper.

BERRY SHORTCAKE CRUMBLE SUNDAE

2 (4-ounce) scoops vanilla ice cream

1?2 cup Strawberry Compote (recipe follows)

1?2 cup Shortcake Crumble (recipe follows)

3?4 cup homemade or store-bought whipped cream

Strawberries, for garnish

1 tablespoon Strawberry Syrup (recipe follows)

Yields 1 sundae.

Place 1 scoop of the ice cream in the center of a beehive-style or other sundae bowl. Press the second scoop firmly down on top of the first scoop, creating a double stack. Spoon the compote over and around the ice cream in the bottom of the bowl, then cover with the crumble. Top with whipped cream and garnish with strawberries. Drizzle with the strawberry syrup. Serve immediately.

STRAWBERRY COMPOTE AND SYRUP

4 quarts fresh strawberries, or 5 pounds frozen strawberries

1 3/4 cups plus 2 tablespoons cane sugar, or more depending on the tartness of the berries

2 teaspoons freshly squeezed lemon juice

Yields about 4 cups each strawberry compote and strawberry syrup

Wash and hull the strawberries, discarding any that are bad and cutting away soft spots as necessary. Cut larger berries in halves or quarters so all berries are in pieces no bigger than 1 inch. Set aside 1/4 of the berries. Place the remaining berries and sugar in a large pot, stir, cover, and let sit at room temperature for 15 minutes (this will draw the juice out of the berries).

Bring the berries to a boil over medium-high heat, decrease the heat to medium-low and simmer for 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and, using a potato (or bean) masher, mash the compote in the saucepan 15 times. Add the remaining berries and the lemon juice. Let cool 15 minutes before proceeding to the next step.

Place a strainer over a large bowl and pour the berry mixture into it in manageable batches, stirring to release the liquid. What's left in the strainer is your Strawberry Compote. The liquid in the bowl is Strawberry Syrup, two recipes in one.

Store the compote and syrup in covered glass jars or plastic containers in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks. The compote and syrup may also be frozen in plastic containers for up to 3 months. If frozen, allow to thaw in the refrigerator overnight before serving.

SHORTCAKE CRUMBLE

2 cups (10 ounces) all-purpose flour

1 tablespoon baking powder

1?2 teaspoon baking soda

1?2 teaspoon sea salt

6 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut in 1?2-inch cubes

1 large egg

1?2 cup buttermilk

2 tablespoons firmly packed light brown sugar

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Yields about 4 cups.

Preheat the oven to 400 F.

Combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a large bowl, and stir with a fork. Cut the butter into the dry ingredients with a pastry cutter or two knives until the mixture is the texture of coarsely ground cornmeal with a smattering of peas in it. (You want to do this quickly so your butter doesn't melt. It's OK if there are small lumps of butter in the mixture when you're done.)

In a separate small bowl, briefly whisk the egg. Add the buttermilk and whisk to combine. Then add the brown sugar, rubbing it between your fingers to squash any recalcitrant lumps; add the vanilla extract and whisk again. Make a depression in the center of the dry ingredients and empty the wet ingredients into it. Stir with a fork, reaching to the bottom of the bowl, and mix gently just until the ingredients are combined. (Don't overdo this or your crumble will be tough.)

Empty the dough onto a nonstick rimmed baking sheet and spread it out with your fingers, separating and breaking up larger clumps so they're no bigger than 2 inches in diameter. There will be gaps in the dough through which you can see the metal of the pan.

Bake the crumble until golden brown, 12 to 15 minutes. Cool completely in the pan on a wire rack. When it's cool, use your fingers to break up the crumble into bite-sized pieces 1 inch or smaller.

Store in a covered plastic container at room temperature for up to 1 day or frozen for up to 3 months. If frozen, allow to thaw in the refrigerator overnight before serving.

—Reprinted with permission from "The Soda Fountain" by Brooklyn Farmacy & Soda Fountain, Inc. copyright (c) 2014. Published by Ten Speed Press, an imprint of Random House LLC.

Photography (c) 2014 by Michael Harlan Turkell

Lisa Messinger is a first-place winner in food writing from the Association of Food Journalists and the author of seven food books, including "Mrs. Cubbison's Best Stuffing Cookbook" and "The Sourdough Bread Bowl Cookbook." She also writes the Creators News Service "Cooks' Books" column. To find out more about Lisa Messinger and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com.