I find that people who have parties often "over compensate" and make way too much food. Your original menu of pumpkin lasagna, salad, bread and homemade dessert sounds like a nice meal. And that's all I would do.

Thank-you! It's a cultural thing, to have two mains at a feast, but I think you're right that it's overcrowding things and that might be what prompted me to post, a feeling that it was off. The lasagna is so rich I don't think anyone would be left wanting. I think the harvest salad will work better for this group, but the eggs are an interesting thing... I could just put out hard boiled eggs for those who want them and have a protein rich secondary dish. It's easy, fuss free, and easy to use if they don't get 'et. :)

Not sure what you mean by "harvest vegetable salad"...I am picturing root vegetables....and it doesn't sound good with pumpkin lasagna.
How about a quiche for the other dish? It will freeze if you have some leftover...not companyw orthy after thawing, but ok for a quick meal. And a green salad and fig pie sounds lovely...if rich. Maybe something lighter like a cookie and lemon sherbet?

For a second dish, I'd have something contrasty vs the pumpkin lasagna - so, crisp not soft, with a bite and a tang, salty, crunchy. Maybe a salade nicoise or a spinach-grapefruit-onion-nuts salad, something like that.

Pumpkin lasagna sounds great. I'm missing some protein. How about devilled eggs? Green salad, and for dessert lemon sherbet AND fig pie would be fabulous.

A harvest salad just has a lot of what's currently coming in: October here means greens, green beans, squash, peppers, corn, cauliflower, maybe some stone fruit or pears, tomatoes, avocados. John, don't you think that, with a vinaigrette, would be a good contrast?

Deviled eggs is definitely a possibility. People seem to like them and with my new press, they're dead easy to fill. Quiche is a great suggestion but doesn't go with the lasagna, which has a lot of cheese and is the same color as quiche, really. I could make pumpkin quiche instead (I already bought the pumpkins). I'll have to think on that.

Pumpkin lasagna, devilled eggs, harvest salad, challah, pie. It sounds yellow, but doable. Whole wheat crust on the pie and lots of greens in the salad for color contrast. I could put beets in the egg filling but I don't think that would go over well. :)

I agree that the harvest salad sounds too similar to the pumpkin lasagne. Both in ingredients and color. I think you need a green salad - either spinach or hearty greens with nuts and fruit - some crunch to it, not soft like lasagne. Or a broccoli salad - something with more contrast to the lasagne. Something fresher. I sort of feel the same about fig pie - dense and hearty. I'd want something lighter, a pretty color; maybe if you did an apple or pear pie with cranberries. I've been making fresh pear and blueberry crisps that are delicious and beautiful.

I also wouldn't serve challah with pumpkin lasagne - the pumpkin is on the sweet side so wouldn't want a bread that is sweet, too.

I wouldn't do a second main. Brassicas are coming in season, and I would do braised escarole with beans.

Pumpkin lasagna sounds delicious!

Harvest salad, heavy on the darker, contrasy stuff, something crunchy, tangy dressing . . . Pics if you get the chance!

I'd love both the pumpkin lasagna and the tuna/kale salad! Go with your instincts! (For those who cannot eat tree nuts... like me... have them as a side garnish, if you are going with a different style salad.)

For fall desserts I like sliced crockpot apples served with apples. Mix with brown sugar, cornstarch and cinnamon and cook until soft. Serve with ice cream.

Further details: The challah is a given. It's for Sabbath and holiday. The pumpkin lasagna isn't all that sweet and sweet is part of the ritual of the season, so I'm not too worried about it. The first ingredient in the harvest salad is greens, and it is a very savory kind of salad even if there's a little fruit in it and the dressing is acidic. There will be plenty of color and texture contrast between that and the lasagna. These are things I've made before and am confident in.

Olychick, thank-you for your perspective. I really appreciate it. You're obviously envisioning a very different meal, but I take your concerns seriously.

Thanks everyone for the suggestions. I'm still trying to figure it out.

It would be helpful, in the future, if you would mention this is a Jewish type of menu and give some specifics. We want to help but need your parameters.

I'm sorry! My tired mind was wandering off on that. You're quite right. I should have said so. Everyone has been wonderful help anyway!

Well, I know NOTHING about Jewish Sabbath meals, so could not have been any help anyway.

If it's a Sukkot thing, how about this persimmon and pomegranate salad? It's a very cheerful dish because of the colors and pomegranate is very much the Sukkot fruit:

1/2 cup pecan halves 3/4 cup orange juice, divided 2 teaspoons cornstarch 1 1/2 tablespoons honey 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil 1/2 lime, juiced

• 7 fresh tarragon leaves, thinly sliced crosswise, or more to taste
• salt and ground black pepper to taste
• 1 (8 ounce) package herb salad mix
• 2 Fuyu persimmons, peeled and each cut into 8 pieces
• 1 large pomegranate, peeled and seeds separated

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
2. Spread pecans onto a baking sheet.
3. Bake pecans in the preheated oven until toasted and fragrant, 5 to 7 minutes. Set aside to cool.
4. Whisk 1/2 cup orange juice and cornstarch together in a small saucepan; cook and stir over medium heat until mixture thickens, 3 to 5 minutes. Remove saucepan from heat and stir in honey until dissolved. Stir remaining 1/4 cup orange juice, olive oil, lime juice, tarragon leaves, salt, and pepper into orange juice mixture. Chill dressing in refrigerator, at least 30 minutes.
5. Spread herb salad mix into a serving bowl or on individual plates; top with persimmon slices, pomegranate seeds, and pecans. Drizzle cooled dressing over salad.

http://allrecipes.com/recipe/235229/persimmon-and-pomegranate-salad/?internalSource=rotd&referringId=1111&referringContentType=recipe%20hub&clickId=cardslot%201

I wonder if a soup would be a good second entree, counterpoint. One with white beans, greens, tomatoes, etc. Perhaps mini-chicken meatballs, too? It would be somewhat lighter than the lasagna and goes well with your other components as well. Even without it, I think your menu sounds lovely.

I have made a salad with greens...lettuce, several sorts and a little spinach, topped with a few very thin slices of sweet onion and thin slices of Granny Smith ( because they are slow to brown) apples, dressed with a honey Dijon vinaigrette.
And for the other main how about a butternut squash noodle kugel? Lots of orange color on the table....but isn't that what it's about?

LOL! Linda, that's priceless!

Olychick, your reactions were actually very helpful to me. For this time of year, it's supposed to be sweet, but I don't want it to be sweet sweet sweet, and you pointed out that I really need to be careful there!

Wintercat, yes, Sukkot. That sounds like an interesting salad. I don't know if we'll have persimmons. I think they're mostly in Spring, so I'll have to check. I wish the pomegranates on my bushes were edible. Even the squirrels won't eat them. (They're "ornamental".)

Tishtoshmn, soup is an interesting idea. I'll have to contemplate serving it outside...

During Sukkot, it's traditional to serve stuffed foods. Since you have your dinner menu planned, you could incorporate this theme with a strudel (a Hungarian dessert with a sweet or savory filling inside a thin layer of dough) as an appetizer or dessert. Tzimmes with a dollop of whipped cream (or ice ice cream, if it's hot) could fill in for dessert.

Persimmon is an autumn fruit. I've already seen it on the market here, so it's on the market where you are. Similar climate.

I dunno from Sukkot, but I don't much care for rich pumpkin lasagne, I make mine with spinach, mushrooms and tomatoes too. So I'd probably do something with spinach or some bitter green for contrast as the salad, with something acidic like tomatoes, and eggs and mushrooms. Stuffed apples with ice cream or frozen yogurt or even regular yogurt, for dessert. There are also groovy French lentil salads that you could do too, if you were feeling anxious about enough protein. I like the idea of white beans and escarole for this time of year too.