Make some egg noodles--you can serve it with the soup, and the kids can eat then with butter if they are picky.

OP here. Thanks everyone. I like the suggestion to have cheese and fruit as dessert course!

Had thought about a first course salad too. Instead of a summertimey salad, am thinking of some kind of brussels sprout salad (I saw a nice recipe with almonds, cranberries, and manchego cheese), or maybe a beet salad (with arugula and oranges) -- or maybe both? Would that be weird? I know beets aren't universally loved but my guests do like them.

As for the kids, 2 of them are extremely picky and won't eat mac & cheese (okay, I admit, they're my kids so I'm not going to worry about them b/c I know they'll eat some crusty bread); the others are fairly adventurous eaters.

I might do spaetzle and bread thought...that's an idea.

Anonymous wrote:I'm somewhere between you two. I'd serve a big salad, and then the goulash with crusty bread, and a platter of cheese, apples, and maybe other fall fruit like pears.

Yes! Yum, yum, yum.

Anonymous wrote:I would also make the mac and cheese if you think the children may be picky.

Let 'em eat cake.

I would also make the mac and cheese if you think the children may be picky.

If it's a thick goulash, definitely use it to top spatzle. You can buy decent dried egg spatzle.

If it's soup, a good, crusty artesian bread. Salad indeed. I always find soups hard to mix and match as a main, but you could serve a fruit and cheese platter for dessert.

I'm somewhere between you two. I'd serve a big salad, and then the goulash with crusty bread, and a platter of cheese, apples, and maybe other fall fruit like pears.

Anonymous wrote:Definitely good bread. I would also suggest a homemade mac and cheese to go with it. And a simple sald. Yum!

I second the bread and salad. I'd skip the mac & cheese. I'd serve the salad first, then the bread and goulash.

Definitely good bread. I would also suggest a homemade mac and cheese to go with it. And a simple sald. Yum!

Am having some dear out of town friends I haven't seen in a while come for dinner next weekend, plus some other friends who know them. Everyone coming likes good food and there will also be children. Am thinking of making a hearty goulash soup as the main course.

What else would you put on the menu, and would you serve it before, after, or with the soup? We'll all sit down at the table together, but it won't be a formal dinner (in terms of people getting dressed up or assigned seating), but I want it to be nice.