Many American households with children do not often have time to sit down together for a family meal, let alone a five-course meal. There are so many sports and school activities that evening meals are eaten on the way or occur at some fast-food place. A five-course meal originated from the more formal meals prepared in Europe a hundred years or so ago. These multi-course evening meals took the greater part of the day to prepare. It was a social or family gathering to relax, spend time talking with one another and eating unhurried.

In modern times, the soup course is usually served first. Try a pureed squash soup since it is good to start a multi-course meal with delicate flavors. Prepare the salad course at the table to showcase the freshness of the ingredients used in preparing the salad. This will also give the main course time to finish cooking while you are preparing and eating the salad. Remember to serve smaller portions when having a multi-course meal like this. Serve the starch course immediately after the salad is finished.

The sugars and carbohydrates in the starch will begin filling those people around the table and save you money on the entrée. Try preparing lightly roasted potatoes with a herb vinaigrette. Next comes the main course, but be sure to allow the meat time to rest after cooking to allow for redistribution of its juices throughout the dish, and will keep it from being dry. The last course is the dessert, a sweet finish to the meal. This may be anything from the rich creations of a pastry kitchen to something as simple as fresh, sweet fruit served with a light wine.