Galentine’s Dinner Party

Okay! So this isn’t my typical post, but something I wanted to feature on here nonetheless, because it’s something I enjoy so much and am finding myself to be increasingly passionate about the more I do it. And that’s hosting dinner parties!

It’s something I’ve always loved the idea of, but have rarely had the energy, space, extra money (or, to be honest, good enough friends!) to do until recently. It’s funny, because I definitely would call myself an introvert, but there’s something so exciting about seeing a full vision come together, and also bringing people together, especially moms, like myself, who always, ALWAYS need and deserve a break, even if it’s for an a few hours on a random Tuesday evening.

I’ve been told by friends who struggle with anxiety, like myself, that hosting a group and being in charge of it all would be too much for them, which I totally get! But I actually feel better when I can serve others and have something to plan out and think about when my mind wanders to anxious places. I actually get the most nervous when having to make announcements like ‘Dessert is ready!’, than I do for anything else. If I could do all this and fade into the background, I absolutely would, I just find so much satisfaction in all the behind-the-scenes stuff.

This time I did a belated ‘Galentines’ dinner on my back porch. I was initially thinking of doing a tablescape with lots of cutesy hearts everywhere, but ultimately decided on an understated pink and red theme. I love how it came out!

Unfortunately, I didn’t have time to photograph the food (I put together a pasta bar), because I ran out of time. I can be photographer, cook, and host, but doing all at once is something I have yet to master! I still wanted to write out what I ended up doing for it, so scroll down for links to the recipes I used and where I got the decorations.

Photographing this table, especially in the dark, brought me back to my days as a wedding photographer. It was always my job to photograph the details of the wedding, and one of my favorite parts of the day!

Confession: I love the Dollar Tree. I need to post about it sometime. So the candles and plates are all from there. I don’t think the quality of the plates is really high, but I only pull them out for dinner parties, so they should last a while with that kind of use. I bought gray plates because I figured they’re a neutral.

I might eventually start gathering up an assortment of nice cloth napkins, but for now, I stick to disposable ones that add a fun pop of color for only a few bucks. These peach ones with a gold foil rim are from Target.

These little white vases are from IKEA, and the flowers I got from Trader Joe’s for cheap. My daughter and I had a fun time ‘arranging’ them, flower arranging is something I’d love to work on.

The table runner is from Target’s Opalhouse line, for only $10! I feel like it really added some fun color and texture. I believe it was just a seasonal item for Valentines Day.

And now onto the food! I wish I would have had time to take pictures of it all, but I’ll be honest- the set-up was nothing special! I’ll still link the recipes to everything I used. It was a mix of my own recipes and others.

I compiled a pasta bar- I love to give people lots of options when there’s a large group. This type of dinner was always my favorite at receptions as a wedding photographer. It made the meal fun and ensured everybody got what they wanted!

For the proteins, I made my Gluten-free, Dairy-free meatballs and had my husband (who is always such a huge help during these things!) grill up some chicken as well. And then we had three different types of pasta - Penne, Gluten free Penne, and Fetuccine noodles. I made sure to toss them with olive oil after cooking them, since I knew they’d be sitting out for a while and wanted to avoid them getting dry and sticking together. I’ve learned that lesson the hard way!

For the sauce I made a this Alfredo sauce from Better Homes and Gardens, and this Tomato Sauce from Wellness Mama. Both sauces have been my go-to recipes for a while- they’re easy and always a crowd-pleaser. For the toppings, I included pesto, sun-dried tomatoes (Trader Joe’s is a great value for both of those items), roasted onions, mushrooms, and Zucchini.

For the sides, I cut up some Romain lettuce and had a variety of toppings to cover a few allergies and preferences - candied walnuts, feta cheese, apple chunks, Avocado, croutons, shredded Parmesan cheese, and then Ranch, casesar, and Poppyseed dressing. Like I said - lots of options! And then I made two batches of my Italian Garlic Loaf - I LOVE that recipe!

For dessert, I made chocolate and Vanilla Raspberry Macarons, chocolate dipped strawberries, and my Chocolate Fruit Mousse. If you read through that blog post, you’ll know that there’s lots of different combinations you could make with this, and I chose white chocolate Strawberry, peach, and blueberry. I chose these desserts because they’re on the lighter side after having a heavy meal of pasta, and also because I knew I could make these a day or two before and they’d still be just as good to serve that night!

All in all the evening was wonderful and totally worth all the work - I love the idea of just giving fellow moms like me an evening to sit back, relax and not have to worry about anything for a few hours. I hope this post was helpful to anyone who is looking to host a big crowd and show people in your life how much you appreciate them!