The most wonderful day of the year is upon us, Galentine’s Day! Never heard of it? You must not be a Parks and Rec fan or Leslie Knope worshipper or a follower of dinner party Pinterest boards. That’s okay you can jump on the bandwagon right meow.
HERE’S WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW:
- Galentines day is February 13 (preceding V day because who run the world? Girls.)
- It’s a celebration of ladies celebrating ladies
- Leslie Knope recommends waffles and mimosas be served but most importantly, female friendships be cherished
Recognizing that the most important thing is that you bring your circle of women together to cheers each other for the entirety of the party and not where or when this takes place, I’ve put together ideas for a few different styles of Galentines Day festivities- for the low maintenance gals, for the dinner party queens, for the brunch squad and for the healthy bunch- as well as a Galentines gift guide and an epic playlist:
FOR THE LOW MAINTENANCE GALS:
Let’s start with the sangria (recipe below). My recommendation is to use sparkling rose in your sangria and buy an extra bottle while you’re at it so you have a celebratory bottle to pop as soon as all of your guests arrive.
GALENTINES DAY PARTY
Very Cherry Sangria
2 cups cherries, pitted (You can even use frozen ones if you want)
1 bottle Rose or sparkling Rose
I liter black cherry seltzer
1 cup cherry cranberry juice
1 cup cherry liqueur or cherry vodka
To make:
- Combine ingredients in a large pitcher and set in fridge to chill at least one hour. Garnish with fresh cherries!
How low maintenance can you go? How about pizza and ice cream? Done. Buy some premade pizza dough, sauce and all your fave toppings and have fun making heart shaped pizzas together.
Complete this delightfully easy party menu with a few packages of cookies and a couple varieties of ice cream (I recommend Black Cherry Halo Top, no I’m not sponsored by them but I wish I was, because can you even imagine?) and slap some ice cream cookie sandwiches together.
FOR THE DINNER PARTY QUEENS
This party option is perfect for those who love to wine and dine over several courses and blast some lady powered music (see my Essential Galentines Day playlist). Here are a few recipes to get your menu started:
Pasta with Pink Sauce
This sauce is so good that I literally eat it by the spoonful and would drink it like a smoothie if no one was watching.
Make it:
1 28 oz can crushed tomatoes
½ cup vodka
1 small yellow onion, diced
¾ cup heavy cream
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 tablespoon fresh basil, chopped
½- 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
Olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste
Let’s do this!
- Coat a large skillet with olive oil and heat over medium high heat. Sauté onion for 5-6 minutes. Then add garlic and sauté for another 3- 4 minutes.
- Add crushed red pepper flakes and vodka and cook over medium heat for 10 minutes.
- Add the crushed tomatoes and oregano and simmer on low until you’re ready to eat your pasta, stirring occasionally.
- One minute before you want to serve the sauce, add the heavy cream and fresh basil, stir to combine and then remove from heat.
Ritz with Hot Pepper Jelly and Cream Cheese
This is my go to “appetizer” because they only take a few seconds to make and because I love hot pepper jelly so much. They’re sophisticated enough to get your guests excited about the meal while not coming off too snobby because hey, they’re still Ritz crackers under that zesty topping.
Make it:
1-4 sleeves Ritz crackers depending on how many your serving (plan on 4-5 crackers per guest)
1 block your favorite cream cheese or whipped cream cheese spread
1 jar hot pepper jelly (if you’re having trouble finding this, look in the cheese section!)
- Spread ½- 1 teaspoon cream cheese on each cracker then top with a blob of jelly.
FOR THE BRUNCH SQUAD
In true Leslie Knope fashion, center your brunch menu around a towering waffle cake, and fill the spread with a savory quiche and sparkling Rose for your brunch buds.
Waffle Cake with Maple Whipped Cream
- Beat 2 cups whipping cream and ½ cup dark maple syrup in mixer until stiff peaks form. Refrigerate until ready to use, at least 30 minutes.
- Use your favorite waffle mix to make a batch (or 2 if you want it to be really tall) of waffles.
- Place waffles on a baking sheet in the oven set at 200 degrees while you make them to keep them nice and warm and fresh. You want them to be fairly crispy so they don’t completely absorb the whipped cream
- Spread a few tablespoons of whipped cream in between each layer of waffle.
- Top with 1-2 cups fresh strawberries, quartered (or substitute any other fruit of your choice)
- Optional: dust with maple sugar and/or bacon bits
Smoked Salmon, Spinach and Shallot Quiche with Herbed Crust
- Preheat oven to 350. Combine all crust ingredients and then press crust into a 9 inch pie plate or tart pan
- Bake for 15-20 minutes until pale golden brown
- Saute spinach and shallot in olive oil 6-8 minutes until spinach is cooked down and shallot softens.
- Whisk eggs and goat cheese in a medium mixing bowl. Add the diced salmon, spinach and shallot, stir well, then pour into pre-baked crust.
- Bake quiche for 30-35 minutes until edges are brown and filling is firmly set. Let stand for 20-30 minutes before serving. Store in the fridge for up to 2 days.
- I like to serve with a dollop of sour cream or whipped cream cheese because this quiche has a strong smoky flavor.
For the crust:
1.5 cups almond flour (or all purpose flour if you prefer)
¼ cup vegetable oil
1 tablespoon water
1 teaspoon dried dill weed
1 teaspoon dried rosemary
1 teaspoon dried basil or oregano
½ teaspoon salt
Pinch of pepper
For the filling:
2 cups spinach
1 shallot
4 eggs
4 oz goat cheese
2 oz smoked salmon, diced
Sour cream, crème freche or whipped cream cheese for topping
FOR THE HEALTHY BUNCH
Some of my friends and family members are total kale-heads but if you know anything about me then you know that I absolutely hate salad and kale. So, for me to be sharing a recipe that combines the two means that it’s a damn good salad. What makes it so good? The creamy avocado dressing cuts down on the intensity of the kale and the spicy pecans are quite addicting.
Kale Salad with Avocado Balsamic Dressing, Cherries and Sweet and Spicy Pecans
- Start by roasting your pecans. Combine all ingredients in a small bowl then toss the pecans in the bowl to coat evenly. Bake on a parchment paper lined baking sheet at 350 for 8-12 minutes, flipping the nuts halfway through. Keep a very close eye on them and when they start to smell roasted, remove from oven as they can go from roasted to burnt in a matter of seconds. Allow to cool before using in salad (you can flash chill them in the fridge or freezer to speed up the process)
- To make the dressing, blend up all ingredients except the water. The mixture might be quite thick, so add the water tablespoon by tablespoon until it gets to the consistency of a creamy Caesar dressing.
- Place chopped kale in a large salad bowl and drizzle a small amount of olive oil over it (about a teaspoon). Massage the oil into the kale leaves briefly, attempting to get most of the leaves covered. Massaging the kale helps to break down the tough exterior and make it more edible.
- Add the dressing to the massaged Kale, tossing to evenly distribute. I let my salad rest in the fridge once dressed for about 30 minutes before serving. Top with the cherries and pecans to serve.
1 bunch or 3 – 4 cups Kale, stems and ribs removed and roughly chopped
¾ cup cherries, pitted and halved (frozen is fine here as long as you let them come to room temp first)
1 cup spicy pecans (recipe follows)
For the Dressing:
1 avocado
½ teaspoon garlic powder
1/3 cup balsamic vinegar
2/3 cup olive oil
Salt and pepper
1-3 tablespoons water as needed
For the pecans:
1 cup raw pecans, whole or halved
1.5 tablespoons maple syrup
1 tablespoon Sriracha sauce
1 tablespoon melted butter
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon brown sugar
Beet Noodles with Sage Pesto and Goat Cheese
- Start by making your pesto. Blend the walnuts, parmesan, garlic, sage, basil and parsley with the lemon juice and a few tablespoons of olive oil. Gradually add more olive oil until it gets to you desired pesto consistency. Add salt and pepper to taste.
- Heat olive oil in a large sauté pan over medium high heat and add onions. Cook for 5 minutes until slightly softer.
- Add beet noodles and cook for another 10 minutes, flipping the noodles partway through. If you don’t have a large enough pan to accommodate all of the noodles, just work in batches
- Add in pesto so that it coats the noodles as evenly as possible. Cook for about a minute so your pesto warms up to the same temp as the noodles.Top with goat cheese crumbles to serve.
2-3 raw large red beets, peeled and spiralized
1 small yellow onion, diced
4-6 oz goat cheese
3 tablespoons Olive oil
For the pesto:
½ cup walnuts
½ cup packed, fresh sage leaves
1 cup packed, fresh basil
1 cup packed, fresh parsley
Juice of half a lemon or 3 teaspoons white vinegar
3-5 tablespoons olive oil
1 clove garlic
1 tablespoon Parmesan cheese
Salt and pepper
GALENTINES DAY GIFT GUIDE
Luckily for you, the Overseasoned online store is a one-stop shop for Galentines gifts! Get the Smash the Garlic and the Patriarchy tea towels, tote bags and adorable lunch bags for your gal pals (p.s they're on sale now for Galentines Day so shop soon!)
DON'T FORGET THE TUNES!
Check out my Essential Galentines Day Spotify playlist for 7 hours of lady powered music to play while your prepping or partying for Galentine's Day!