How to host a Galentine's Day party the easy way

My girlfriends and I have been throwing Galentine’s parties for six years now and we’ve run the gamut from super complicated, to going out to fancy brunch, to somewhere inbetween. Gone are the days of pulling out all the random stuff we’d received as wedding gifts but never used (chocolate fountain, anyone?) and complicated DIYs. Those parties were fun, but in our current season, none of us have the time it takes to pull that off. Instead, we’ve streamlined and come up with the perfect easy brunch.

Simple potluck foods
The easiest signature drink
Fun favors
Optional – festive diffuser blend

First- potluck is a must. If each person brings something, there’s no pressure on anyone to be solely responsible for food, and everyone can choose whether to make or buy their item. The great thing about brunch is there is so much variety. Breakfast foods are quick and easy to make. Bagels and lox are always a hit, as well as fruit and cheese platters.

Sample Galentine’s brunch menu

If you want to cook:
- Belgian waffles or pancakes
- An egg dish, like a veggie frittata or shakshuka
- Sausage and biscuits
If you want to assemble a platter:
- Fruit plate (cut up some extra berries to toss into the champagne)
- Cheese plate
- Charcuterie board
If you want to buy:
- bagels and lox
- muffins
To drink:
- Champagne
- Coffee
- Orange juice
- Seltzer

Ok, so I know I said this is an easy brunch made with easy foods, but I literally cannot help myself and had to make something extra. This was my first attempt at a dessert charcuterie board that I made out of cookies, berries, and treats I found at Trader Joe’s. We found little chocolate molds at Michael’s in tiny waffle shapes, so of course I had to make those. They were super simple – melt some Wilton’s candy melts in the microwave according to the directions on the package and spoon into the molds. Pop out when cool. It took about five minutes. Leslie Knope would be proud.

The board also had macarons, vanilla sugar wafers, champagne and fruity gummies, pirouette cookies, and this weird flower shaped raspberry chocolate bar that unintentionally looked like it was made of ham…

One of our friends made this delicious shaksuka, which is similar to eggs in purgatory, and also gluten free.

There were also Swedish pancakes and lingonberry sauce. I could not stop eating these- they’re thinner and eggier than regular pancakes, and the sauce was just a little tart. So good.

And a veggie and cheese flatbread, which was colorful and fresh and delicious.

We also had waffles using Krusteez mix, which was by far the best box mix I’ve ever tried. They tasted like they were from scratch, really tender, and just a tiny bit sweet. No syrup needed.

And some sausages, which were delicious served with applesauce on the side.

In the background here is the fruit and cheese plate before we attacked it. In the foreground is my new solution for signature Galentine’s drinks – pink champagne with fruit. Simple and refreshing.

We also had sparkling pink lemonade as a festive, non alcoholic option.

Next up, fun favors, dressed in pink bags, of course – there were themed socks, pink pens, and squishy heart stress balls. Everything came from the seasonal aisle in Michael’s.