How to Host the Perfect Galentine’s Brunch for your Gal Pals

Happy Galentine’s Day!

Today is the day to celebrate all of the wonderful women in your life, whether you’re celebrating your mom, your sister, your closest girlfriends, or yourself! I’m always inspired by the strong women in my life: my mom is my rock, and while I don’t have any sisters, she more than made up for it. I also am fortunate to have an amazing tribe of women around me: friends, aunts, cousins, and extended family that inspire me to be strong, courageous, brave, and passionate in whatever it is that I choose to do.

I hope you also have incredible women like them in your life to lift you up. I think it’s important, especially in hard times, to surround yourself with inspiring people. I’ve had my fair share of ups and downs, and I am grateful to be encouraged by these women.

Enough of the sap, and now onto how best to celebrate them! I know I just shared a gift guide to celebrating yourself or the women in your lives, but some of my favorite memories are those created through experiences. A beautiful meal, great conversation, many laughs, and maybe a sweet treat or two are the times I cherish the most. And while presents are special, memories are forever.

I recently hosted a few close friends for brunch. The theme was Galentine’s Day, so I popped over to Target to grab cute pieces for table decor, and whipped up a few special items for us to enjoy over conversation. We finished the meal off with sweet treats, and because we all met through blogging, lots of photos were taken of the day.

Whether you have time to whip up a beautiful brunch this weekend, or you’re just looking for an idea to spend an hour or two with a gal pal, I hope these ideas help you celebrate!

Recipes for your Galentine’s Day Brunch

When cooking for a group, the first thing I always find out is dietary restrictions. My friends have quite a few – I needed to find recipes that were dairy free, gluten free and had no meat. A bit of a challenge for brunch, as most recipes revolve around breakfast meats or fluffy baked goods, but I didn’t let it stop me!

The first thing that popped into my head was baked oatmeal. Oats are naturally gluten-free but are often contaminated with other glutinous grains during production and packaging. Bob’s Red Mill is my go-to for gluten-free, so I picked up the oats and used pecans, strawberries, apples, and orange peel for flavor. Here’s the recipe I used, adapted from this one from Skinny M’s.

Baked Oatmeal Casserole {DF, GF}
2 cups Bob’s Red Mill GF old fashioned oats
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tbsp grated orange peel
1 c sliced fresh strawberries
1/2 c diced pecans, or nuts of your choice
1 apple, diced
2 egg whites
1/4 c honey
2 c almond milk
1 tsp vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Spray an 8×8 pan with non-stick spray. Set aside.
In a mixing bowl, combine oats, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, and orange peel. Pour half into the prepared 8×8 pan. Top with half of the strawberries, apples, pecans. Pour the remaining oat mixture on top of the fruit and top with remaining strawberries, apples, and pecans.

In a small mixing bowl, whisk together the egg and honey until they are well combined. Add almond milk and vanilla extract and stir well. Pour the liquid mixture over top of the fruit and oats in prepared pan.

Bake for 35-40 minutes, or until the oatmeal is set and golden brown.

This had us set for a sweet breakfast dish, so I wanted to find something savory. As I mentioned previously, most dishes had breakfast meats like bacon, sausage, or ham as the main ingredient, so I kept an eye out for something with a non-dairy cheese like goat cheese. I didn’t find exactly what I was looking for, so I combined my favorite breakfast dish, dutch babies, and two favorite pizza toppings, roasted red pepper, and goat cheese, to come up with this recipe.

Savory Dutch Baby with Roasted Red Pepper and Goat Cheese {DF, GF}
1 c Bob’s Redmill GF Flour
⅛ tsp salt
1 c almond milk
4 medium eggs
½ tbsp coconut oil
¼ c roasted red peppers, diced
¼ log goat cheese, crumbled
Chives, diced

Preheat your oven to 425 degrees. Mix GF flour and salt into a medium-sized mixing bowl. Stir in the almond milk until combined. Whisk in the eggs, one at time, until combined.

Place coconut oil into your cast iron skillet, then place in the oven to melt the oil for a few minutes. Remove the dish from the oven with lots of towels and pot holders, because I’ve been burnt more times than I’d care to admit by the handles! :O

Pour batter into the cast iron skillet. Then, top with roasted red peppers, goat cheese, and as much of the chives as you’d like. Place it in the oven for 25 minutes. The batter will climb up and when removed from the oven, will deflate. Serve plain, or with your favorite dairy-free butter.

Dutch Baby portion of the recipe adapted from Go Dairy Free.

Brunch wouldn’t be complete without a cocktail! I served a pitcher of Strawberry Basil Rosé Sangria. This is super easy to make and doesn’t need to sit overnight in the fridge to have an excellent flavor. Here’s how to make it!

Strawberry Basil Rosé Sangria
A bottle of Rosé (I used Sofia Rosé)
1 c frozen sliced strawberries
A handful of basil, chopped
2 bottles of Be Mixed Cucumber & Mint mixer {2 4-oz servings}

In a pitcher, combine the whole bottle of rose, frozen strawberries, chopped basil, and the Be Mixed mixer. Stir well, and refrigerate until ready to serve.

Recipe adapted from Be Mixed’s Rosé Sangria. 

A girl can’t make everything, so don’t be afraid to utilize local bakeries and grocery store “cheats” to your advantage! Also on the menu was roasted potatoes with onion and peppers from Trader Joes’ frozen section. I also picked up a half dozen adorable cupcakes and macarons for my gluten-free friend from local bakery, Trophy Cupcakes, the night before!

Activities to Plan for Galentine’s Day

Now that you’ve got the food covered, it’s all about those activities! I love talking the day away with my gal pals, but it’s always fun to try something new too.

When I first moved back to Seattle after college, I had a lot of trouble meeting friends. One of the ways that I recommend making friends in adulthood is by joining a book club. Of course, finding one to join can sometimes be challenging! If that’s the case, why not make your own? Use this Galentine’s Brunch as an opportunity to kick things off and pick a book that you’ll all enjoy reading. Now you have another excuse to have your friends over for a get-together! ;)

Not into reading? No problem!

Another fun activity to consider is trying out a new game. I recently was introduced to That’s What She Said, a fun card game full of innuendos, giggles, and fun. Why not try out this card game over brunch? I guarantee you and your friends will have plenty to giggle and talk about!

Finally, if games and books aren’t your thing, what about an interactive food activity? Set up a DIY hot cocoa bar with ingredients you already have, or go crazy in the candy aisle with heart candies, cinnamon lips, and don’t forget lots of whipped cream!

What to Wear for Galentine’s Day

And finally, my favorite topic! What to wear, of course. I think you can wear whatever it is you feel most comfortable in, but my favorite outfits for Galentine’s and Valentine’s Day alike include some variation of red, pink, and white. Girly touches like bows, berets, and lace are also always perfect for the holiday. For my brunch, I mixed comfort (denim) with lace and wore a pink fuzzy sweater on top. For more inspiration, see last year’s Galentine’s Day outfit here, what to wear for casual couples on Valentine’s Day, or get inspired with this Valentine’s Day makeup look!

And that’s it for my ideas for hosting a Galentine’s Day soiree. It may not be as glamorous as what you see on Pinterest, but it didn’t cost me an arm and a leg, my friends had fun, and we enjoyed each other’s company. After all, I think that’s what it’s all about!

Happy Galentine’s Day! How are you celebrating? Let me know in the comments below!