Last week, I had the great pleasure of hosting some of my gal pals here for a lovely Galentine’s dinner party.  I gathered the girls so we could celebrate a recent “girl’s trip” we went on together to Scottsdale for our good friend “Peaches” birthday!  My plan was to get us all together to watch a video we prepared with all of the pictures from our trip and reminisce over our fantastic meals, shopping trips, hikes and other memorable moments on the trip.  In this post, I will share some creative menu ideas for hosting your own Galentine’s Party, whether for a luncheon or a dinner.  To see the whole post on the party, click on this link…

Blush Pink and Gold Galentine’s Dinner Party

Here are a few images of the table setting!

Because there was so much content, I decided to do a separate post to discuss menu ideas for an occasion like this.  There are several things to consider when putting together a plan for the meal your guests will enjoy.

1. Consider your colors and theme

For this event, I decided to coordinate the menu with the pink and rose tones of my table setting.  Sound silly?!  Maybe so, but I ran with it anyway.  So…I settled on a Tomato Soup for the first course.  Not only was it yummy, but also so festive in the bowl!  It was a cold night that night, so a nice warm soup really settled well with the girls.

For the soup, I started with this recipe for an Easy Roasted Tomato Soup.  I like to use recipes for inspiration and then put my own spin on it.  For this recipe, I added a couple of splashes of balsamic vinegar, a decent size pinch of red pepper flakes for a little kick and then a tablespoon of sugar to tame the acidity a bit.  Additionally, I topped off the soup with parmesan croutons from Trader Joe’s…a favorite of mine!  This is a great choice for serving your gal pals as it is light and healthy.

Source: Gimme Delicious Food

Here are a few other tasty options of tomato soup recipes I have tried…

Creamy Tomato Basil Soup  / Roasted Tomato Basil Soup  / Creamy Tomato Basil Soup with Parmesan

2. Consider your guests…their likes and dislikes…

Always consider your guests…their likes and dislikes (if you know them, of course!), their food aversions, allergies, etc. Since I was hosting a table full of athletic moms that live very healthy lives, I decided to serve salmon for the main course.  Super lean, a great protein and it is PINK!!  Right?!  The salmon I prepared was my own recipe (not really a recipe because I just threw it together).  Here is how to make it…

Roasted Salmon with Rosemary, Onion, and Lemon

Pat dry a large Steelhead Salmon (any kind of salmon will work).

Slice the salmon into individual pieces (it is a lot easier to slice the salmon prior to roasting it to make it easier to plate it once it is cooked).

Spread a light coat of room temperature butter over each piece (this helps seal in the moisture).

Sprinkle any salmon seasoning blend over the salmon.

Place 2 very thinly sliced lemon slices on top next and then top each piece with sprigs of fresh rosemary and thinly sliced yellow onions.

Roast in a 400 degree oven for approximately 20 minutes or until flaky.

Let cool a little bit and then top each serving with lightly dressed arugula.

Apple Cider Vinaigrette

1 Cup of Olive Oil

1/3 Cup of Apple Cider Vinegar

1 Tablespoon of Dijon Mustard

Salt and Pepper to taste

“Peaches” asked me to post the recipe for the dressing I made so that one is for her and the inspiration behind this post.  The things you do for your friends!!  Here are a few other yummy salmon recipes that would be nice options for you…

Baked Honey Cilantro Lime Salmon / Crispy Garlic Parmesan Salmon / Garlic Herb Roasted Salmon

3. Consider the timing

Finally, when planning a menu for a party for any occasion, ALWAYS consider your timing!  For a party to flow smoothly and give you maximum time with your guests, be sure to choose your menu items based on the timing and effort involved in getting what you are serving to the table.  When preparing for a larger group, I suggest choosing recipes that can be made ahead and be served when you are ready. Try to minimize the prep needed to be done after your guests arrive.  That’s why the tomato soup was perfect because I made it earlier in the day and only had to heat it up.

Same concept with the salmon.  I completed all the preparation earlier in the day and kept it in the refrigerator until I was ready to pop it in the oven.  All there was left to do was to plate it and add the dressed arugula. Super easy!

With regard to the dessert, it is confession time!!  I do NOT like to bake.  I am actually reasonably scared of it (due to a really bad experience as a child…maybe I will share that funny story one day!).  Gratefully, for this occasion, “Peaches” offered to bring a dessert, so I just asked her to make sure it fits in with the pink theme.  We were also actually celebrating a birthday that night, so she brought a lovely bundt cake with pink embellishments so it was perfect!

I did, however, send the girls home with these adorable party favors! More info on that in my last post!

Thank you so much for stopping by today! Valentine’s Day is a perfect opportunity to show your love and appreciation to those whom you care about, including your close friends.  Hopefully, these menu ideas will help make your own planning a little easier.  Hosting a Galentine’s Party was so much fun!!  My first actually… 🙂

If you are still looking for Valentine’s Day gift ideas, check out my Gift Guide of All Things PINK!

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Cheers and Happy Valentine’s Day,