Galentine’s Brunch & Entertaining Tips

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Valentine’s Day is the perfect occasion to celebrate the lovely ladies in your life.  Now that we are settled into our house, I regularly find myself looking for ways to have people over. I would love for our friends and family to think of our house as a home filled with their special memories. If you don’t have a house or aren’t a huge fan of entertaining, organize a girl’s brunch at your favorite restaurant. My family has done that in the past and had so much fun.

Over the last year I have slowly become more comfortable entertaining guests at our house. There’s nothing worse then feeling overwhelmed before, during or after guests arriving. I have a lot to learn, but I’ve definitely picked up a few helpful tips so far. Today, I am sharing three tips that help me to prepare myself to be a good host, along with three Instagram accounts I’ve followed recently. These ladies have been sharing some awesome recipes perfect for a Galentine’s Day Brunch!

Hosting Tips

#1 Plan and Organize: If I am planning a get-together in advance, it’s always a good idea to start planning as soon the date is set. Plan a simple menu and make a grocery list. When planning your menu be sure to consider your guest’s preferences, along with appetizers, main dishes and dessert. I will arrange to have extra tables and chairs {if needed} and of course, fun decor if I’m hosting a special event. I’ll save tips for impromptu entertaining for a separate blog post.

#2 House Prep: I am a neat freak {just ask my husband} and I’m very meticulous about our house. I clean our house regularly, but I like to make sure the house is at its cleanest for guests.  I  can straighten up the day of or night before, but I don’t want to be scrubbing every inch of the shower the morning of my party. The morning of a party, I will do some light cleaning, quickly clean the bathroom and setup anything needed for my friends.

#3 Food Prep: I try to plan out meals that I can put together in advance. I also try to serve dishes that won’t force me to stand in front of the stove all night. Fruits and veggies can be cut, meats and poultry can be marinated and casseroles can be prepared in advance. Soups and chili can be made early and can simmer on the stove until your guests arrive.

Don’t forget to follow me on Pinterest for some more Valentine’s Day inspiration!

The perfect Galentine’s brunch would definitely include pink mimosas and cute decor. I recently bought this inexpensive ‘be mine’ banner to hang on my fireplace mantel. It’s cute and I love that it will barely take up any room to store. It would also be cute to setup a photo back drop and use these cute Galentine’s Day props for pictures.

Instagram Galentine’s

I love following Christina Lane from Dessert for Two. All of her recipes make two servings {perfect for newlyweds}. Everything she makes looks delicious whether it’s dessert, dinner or a snack. Her food photography is beyond beautiful and she has published a few cookbooks. Talk about blogger goals!

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My Mom said my Frosted Sugar Cookie Bars are some of the best she's ever had. SO, every few months I make them in a new seasonal way. Tonight, it's with #ValentinesDay M&Ms, because they put TWO colors of pink in the bag this year–hooray! Grab the recipe link in my profile, check your email for my new recipes tonight, and stay tuned for my easiest 5-minute chocolate mousse coming up tomorrow! This is the time of year when I crank out allllll of the desserts for two because it's almost Love Day! What are you doing for Valentine's Day since it falls on a week day this year? I need to know! Are you cooking at home? Please say you're cooking at home…you're my kind of people. ❤ #feedfeed #mandms #vday #sugarcookie #cookiebars #frosted #smallbatch #foodblogfeed

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Julie Resnikc’s Feedfeed Gluten-Free account is awesome. This account makes it easy to find both gluten-free recipes and new bloggers. If you post a photo and tag #feedfeed you also have a chance of being featured on one of her accounts. This parfait that was posted recently is Valentine’s Day perfection.

Lexi’s Clean Kitchen is one of my favorite accounts to follow. Lexi shares so many gluten-free and paleo recipes. She has a great website and recently publish a cookbook too.  I think it is so cool to see bloggers grow and succeed. Lexi’s gluten-free pancake recipe along with these chocolate strawberry cups would be perfect for a Galentine’s brunch.

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They are UP!!! 🍫🍓❤️ These Paleo Chocolate Strawberry Cups are the perfect paleo and vegan Valentine’s Day treat. Made with an easy, 2-ingredient chocolate ganache and my favorite chia seed jam, everybody will love this decadent treat that is easy to make and require’s no baking! 👇🏼👇🏼 Link is in my profile for the recipe! • • • #lexiscleankitchen #eeeeeats #glutenfree #eatclean #justeatrealfood #huffposttaste #thefeedfeed #cleaneating #bhgfood #cleaneating #bonappetit #foodandwine #foodblogfeed #f52grams #mywilliamssonoma #eatingfortheinsta #realfood #beautifulhealth #foodblogeats #foods4thought #beautifulcuisines @beautifulcuisines @thefeedfeed @purewow #chocolatelovers #valentinegift

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Disclaimer: I am participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for me to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites. All opinions/recommendations are my own.

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Valentine’s Gift Guide for Cooking Lovers

Red Rose & Honey1 Comment

Valentine’s Day. Some hate it, some love it. I am somewhere in between. Do you know how the holiday originated? I didn’t until recently. If you keep reading, I will share what I learned along with a holiday gift guide.

On February 15th, the Romans celebrated Lupercalia. During this festival of sorts, men and women took part in ‘activities’ that were believed to increase fertility. This celebration eventually became known as a period of both fertility and love. It is believed that the Catholic church disapproved of Lupercalia, but could not put an end to it. Instead, the church named festival after St. Valentine, who was executed on February 14th. Valentine was known for performing marriages in secret for men who were destine for war and forbidden to marry. Later, during the Shakespeare Era, love was emphasized and handmade Valentine’s cards became popular.  Then in 1913, a little company in Missouri began mass producing Valentine’s Day cards….that company was Hallmark (source: NPR and NatGeo).

There you have it folks, Valentine’s day may have some deep rooted history, but I suppose you could say it really is a Hallmark holiday in the U.S. If you chose to celebrate the holiday and embrace what it is about, here are some gift ideas that the home chef in your life will love. 

This marble cheese board is similar to one that a friend gave me. It’s pretty and great for entertaining. To keep holiday decor  simple, items like spoons, spatulas and dish towels are perfect. They dress up the kitchen, but are still practical. I also love this mason jar spoon rest. I use a spoon rest every day and love mason jar decor. Recipe boxes are little old school, but hand written recipes are special. My mom gave me a recipe box at my bridal shower filled with recipes from my guest. I love also trying out Ina Garten’s recipes; she’s is one of my favorite chefs to watch on Food Network. Her newest cookbook is all about cooking for her husband! I will be definitely be cooking up a special dinner for my hubby this Valentine’s day, which I am sure will include our favorite bottle of wine. This rose gold wine stopper is a perfect little gift for any wine lovers you know too.

If you have been following my blog and  Instagram account you probably already know that I am in love with my Le Creuset Dutch oven. I have seriously gotten so much use out of it since it was gifted to me in October. This is definitely a major purchase, but a great idea for someone who loves to cook. They come in a lot of fun colors too.  Pink or red would be perfect for Valentine’s Day.

Another great gift idea for your valentine who loves to cook is a class at Sur la Table. I have take a few classes there and think they’re so much fun. They usually schedule classes a few months in advance and they offer specific ‘date night’ classes {or ‘girl’s night’ for your galentine}.

Disclaimer: I am a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for me to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites. All opinions/recommendations are my own.

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BBQ Chicken Meatball Tacos

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Sometimes it’s hard to be creative in the kitchen. It’s easy (and convenient) to have your go-to meals, but I’ve learned that approach can also get boring. Have you ever had a day when you’re starving, but in the mood for nothing? I had one of those days a few weeks ago. Although I didn’t feel much like cooking, I forced myself into the kitchen and stared at the ingredients we had in the fridge. I must say, I make a mean chicken meatball that I’ve tossed in many sauces. I decided on BBQ chicken meatballs, but wasn’t sure what else I would make with them. What goes well with BBQ? Apples! And just like that, the BBQ Chicken Meatball Taco with Apples was born.

BBQ Chicken Meatball Tacos

  • Servings: 2-4
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Ingredients

Meatballs:
1lb Chicken Chop Meat
1/4 cup Panko Bread Crumbs
1 Egg
10 Baby Carrots
1 Celery Stalk
1 Small Shallot
2 Clove of Garlic
1/2 Tsp Salt
1/4 Tsp Black Pepper
1/4 Tsp Paprika
1/8 Tsp Chicken Seasoning

Sauce:
1/4 Cup BBQ Sauce*
1/4 Cup Red Wine Vinegar
1/2 Tsp Dijon Honey Mustard
Dash of Worcestershire Sauce
Sprinkle of Salt and Black Pepper
*I only had about 1/4 cup of BBQ sauce left, but I recommend doubling the BBQ sauce and dijon honey mustard

Tacos:
Soft Corn Tortillas
Fresh Baby Spinach
1 Apple

Directions

Meatballs:
Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees
In a food processor finely chop shallot, garlic, celery and carrots then transfer to medium size bowl.
Add chicken chop meat, egg, panko and seasonings to the bowl and combine well. Be careful to not overwork the meat because it can turn tough.
Carefully form balls with the mixture in the size that you like. I made 9 larger meatballs, but smaller may have been better for this dish.
Bake for 25-30 minutes then broil for 2-5 minutes.

BBQ Sauce:
When there are 5 minutes left on the meatballs, combine all ingredients in a small pot. Simmer on low for 5 minutes, whisking occasionally.

Tacos:
After getting the sauce started, place corn tortillas on a baking sheet. Bake for no more than 5 minutes in the oven. The small corn tortillas can harden pretty quickly and you want to be able to fold them like a taco (side note: these tortillas make awesome chips too).
Using a slicing grater (like this – I used the orange one), very thinly slice the apples.
To assemble to tacos, brush tortillas with BBQ sauce then layer with apple and fresh spinach. Cut your meatballs into 2 or 4 pieces and add to the taco. Finish each one off with a drizzle of BBQ sauce.

Disclaimer: I am participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for me to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites. All opinions/recommendations are my own.

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