It’s time for our favorite holiday that celebrates accordingly with chocolate, hearts and the color pink: Galentine's Day! The love between gal pals is undeniable and totally worth celebrating. During this stage of life that we so lovingly call “adulthood,” we rely on our girls to support us through our jobs, the modern and scary world of online dating and any and all quarter-life crises. Let’s face it: We love and need our girlfriends. That’s why a day like Galentine’s Day is quite possibly the best day of the year!
Today we’re teaming up with Studio Ink to show you how to host the most epic Galentine’s Day brunch. We’ve got everything from red velvet heart waffles to DIY centerpieces to Galentine card writing stations. Studio Ink has an awesome collection of cards that are the perfect mix of sweet, sentimental, funny and cute. It’s not truly Galentine’s Day unless you send your besties Valentines… I mean, Galentines! Alright, let’s dive in.
What does Galentine mean?
Galentines are like Valentines, but for the girls! Though you may have a lover in your life, this holiday is all about celebrating your platonic friendships with your girl friends and just having fun with it! The holiday is slated for Feburary 13, the day before Valentine's Day, so you can have all the time to cherish your gal pals. Funnily enough, the day was coined by none other than the iconic Leslie Knope from Parks and Recreation.
What food is eaten on Galentine's Day?
Your Galentine's Day grub is really up to you and the girls, but the most popular bites include dips and chips, stuffed peppers, veggie skewers, waffles, cookies, cupcakes, cake pops, deviled eggs, bruschettas and charcuterie snacks. Finger foods are always a good way to go for any gathering.
What do you bring to a Galentine's Day brunch?
For a Galentine's brunch, you can bring food items like cute snacks, desserts (topped with heart sprinkles, of course), healthy meals, drink mixers or mocktails. You can also bring handmade cards or gifts for each of your friends, and of course you have to bring your love!
The Spread
First, let’s talk about the food. It’s not brunch without a fabulous array of treats. For our Galentine’s Day brunch, the perfect setup includes: berry parfaits, donut skewers, mini muffins, bellinis and a red velvet waffle bar, displayed under a simple backdrop of letter balloons, paper hearts and tassels.
Decorate your table with a few gold bottles and single flower stems. You don’t want your table to be too cluttered, because you’ll want to also have space for all the card writing you’ll do!
Galentine’s Day Card Mailboxes
All your Galentine’s Day cards now have a home.
Add some stickers to your mailbox for extra cute flair. You can download these Studio Ink Galentine’s Day stickers here. Just print on sticker paper and cut them out!
You’ve got mail!
I see more mail in the future. <3
Check out how cute these cards are!
I don’t know about you… but all this card writing is getting me hungry. Which brings me to….
Galentine's Brunch Foods
These red velvet waffles were a hit when we tested the recipe at the Brit + Co kitchen, and they certainly will be a hit on your Galentine’s Day brunch table.
Red Velvet Heart Waffles With Cream Cheese Glaze
Make these waffles with your favorite mix or from your go-to cookbook. Place the waffles on a platter along with the glaze and other toppings. We’re using heart-shaped sprinkles, obviously.
Drizzle the glaze on your waffles with a spoon or with a pitcher. No matter how you do that drizz, your waffles will be delicious!
Mmm, delightful!
Okay, I already know I want seconds. What better way to wash down your second (and maybe third) helping of waffles than with a bellini? Check out this downloadable signature recipe here!
Brunch babes!
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This post has been updated.
When it comes to prepping Thanksgiving dinner, we'll take any make-ahead ideas we can get. That's why we are *obsessed* with this insanely yummy mashed potato recipe from Half Baked Harvest. Easy to make, delicious to eat, and even better to check off your to-do-list, these mashed potatoes are rich and full of garlicky goodness. We'll let Tieghan Gerard take it from here!
Make Ahead Roasted Garlic Mashed Potatoes, the best holiday mashed potatoes. Made simply with sweet roasted garlic, fresh herbs, and salted butter. Each bite is perfectly smooth, creamy, and so delicious. The secret? Cooking the potatoes together with the milk and cream, then adding in roasted garlic cloves for a delicious garlic flavor that isn't overpowering. This method makes for the creamiest and most flavorful mashed potatoes. They're perfect for making ahead of time for easy entertaining!
What's the secret to these potatoes?
Half Baked Harvest
Two things… first, the roasted garlic. Roasting the garlic adds just the right amount of garlic flavor that's delicious but not over powering.
Second, cook the potatoes together with the milk and herbs. This means no boiling the potatoes, no extra steps, nothing fancy. It turns out that creating almost perfect mashed potatoes is actually really easy.
The Steps — Roast The Garlic
Half Baked Harvest
Start with the garlic since it takes time to roast in the oven. If you've never done it before it really adds a layer of deliciousness to your recipes.
Simply slice the top portion of the garlic head off to reveal the cloves. Then place the garlic on a small piece of foil, drizzle with olive oil, and wrap the garlic up. Roast for about forty minutes, until the garlic is deeply golden and soft.
Then simply squeeze the cloves out of the garlic skin.
Meanwhile, Make The Potatoes
Half Baked Harvest
Combine the potatoes with the milk and cream in a large pot on the stove. Add the herbs, then cook until the potatoes are tender. This will take about twenty-five minutes or so. Once the potatoes are cooked, drain them, BUT, be sure to save the cream – you'll need it!
Now, the potato ricer…it's key to making ultra-smooth mashed potatoes. Do you have to have a potato ricer? No, a good ole masher works too. But if you want the smoothest mashed potatoes, a ricer works really well.
Half Baked Harvest
Take the mashed potatoes and those roasted garlic cloves and put them right back into the pot. Then add back the cream and also add some butter. Cook until the butter is melted…and that's it…the most perfectly flavored creamy mashed potatoes!
Honest these are the BEST – classic, but with amazing flavor and texture.
The added bonus is just how easy these are to make…and that you can make them ahead of time. Steps for warming in the oven, slow cooker, or on the stove are listed in the directions!
Make Ahead Roasted Garlic Mashed Potatoes
Half Baked Harvest
Ingredients:
- 1 head garlic
- extra virgin olive oil
- 4 pounds yukon gold or russet potatoes, peeled and quartered
- 2 cups heavy cream
- 2 cups whole milk
- 8 fresh sage leaves
- 3 sprigs fresh thyme
- 6-8 tablespoons salted butter, at room temperature
- kosher salt and black pepper
Directions:
- Preheat the oven to 400° F.
- Slice off the top portion of the garlic head to expose some of the cloves. Place the garlic on a piece of foil. Drizzle with olive oil, wrap it up, and bake for 40-55 minutes, until deeply golden and very soft.
- Let the garlic cool, then squeeze out the cloves.
- Meanwhile, In a large dutch oven, combine the potatoes, heavy cream, milk, sage, and thyme. Bring to a gentle boil over medium heat and cook 20-25 minutes, until the potatoes are fork-tender.
- Drain the potatoes, reserving all of the cream. Discard the thyme and sage. Press the potatoes and roasted garlic cloves through a potato ricer. Then add them back to the warm pot. Alternately, you can add the potatoes back to the pot and mash with a potato masher.
- Over low heat, add 1 1/2 cups of the reserved cream and the butter. Continue to add more of the cream until your desired consistency is reached. Season the potatoes with salt and pepper.
- If desired, brown a little butter with sage or thyme and swirl into the potatoes before serving. Serve warm and creamy.
To Make Ahead:
- In the Oven: Prepare the mashed potatoes as directed through step 6. Spoon the potatoes into a large baking dish. Cover and refrigerate for up to 3 days. To reheat in the oven, preheat the oven to 325° F. Pour 1/2 cup milk or cream over the potatoes and add 2 tablespoons butter, do not stir. Cover the potatoes tightly with foil and transfer to the oven. Cook for 20-25 minutes, or until the potatoes are warmed through. Stir before serving.
- Slow Cooker: Prepare the mashed potatoes as directed through step 6. Spoon the potatoes into the slower cooker, cover, and keep on low for up to 4 hours. About 30 minutes before serving, turn the heat to low or high, add 1/2 cup heavy cream and 2 tablespoons butter, do not stir. Cover and let the cream warm and the butter melt. Stir before serving.
- On the Stove: Prepare the mashed potatoes as directed through step 6. Add 1/2 cup cream and 2 tablespoons butter. Place the potatoes over low heat, gently stirring until warmed throughout.
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This post has been updated.
In honor of International Women's Day (and month!), we're finding ways to celebrate and inspire all of the leading ladies in our life. That's why we've teamed up with Cambria Estate Winery, a female-led and operated winery leading the way toward empowering women in their industry. From sparking meaningful conversation to serving an amazing bottle of wine, we'll help you prep for hosting an outdoor get-together, in-person soirée, or Zoom call that will leave everyone feeling confident, energized, and empowered. Ready?
Celebrate International Women's Day With These Fun Ideas
Tip 1: Build a group playlist of your all-time favorite feminist anthems.
Good tunes can make or break the mood of a get-together, but there's no need to play DJ all night. The best hosts do a little work up front to make sure they can join in once the good conversation starts! Before you Zoom or have a few pod friends over, set up a shared playlist and ask each of your attendees to add their go-to empowering female artists to the musical line-up. You'll end the night with the knowledge of new songs and feel accomplished knowing that you all contributed to the party. Here's our Female Empowerment Playlist to get the evening started.
Tip 2: Invite everyone to bring a book that has impacted their year and inspired them to take action. Share + swap for good measure.
With 2023 in full swing, everyone is already itching to see what the year has in store. Your best gals have amazing taste and will know just what to recommend to motivate one another to make a difference. Allow each friend a moment to share about their newest book and make the trades. Bonus points if you have a take-home goodie to give, like this mouth-watering english toffee!
Tip 3: Treat your ladies to a bottle from a female-operated winery.
Everybody knows that the best conversations happen over a nice bottle of wine. This get-together is no exception. You'll want to stock up on our go-tos: Cambria Julia's Vineyard Pinot Noir and Cambria Katherine's Vineyard Chardonnay. Don't forget to mention to your pals that by sipping, they're also supporting a winery that recognizes and inspires female leaders. Unlike many others in the industry, Cambria Winery is women-owned and operated from top to bottom! Sounds like a win-win.
Tip 4: Serving a Pinot Noir? Pair it with a simple chicken recipe, like this Cheesy Mustard Chicken.
The hearty flavor of the chicken will pair well with the flavor notes in a red wine, like Cambria Julia's Vineyard Pinot Noir. See the full recipe in our chicken breast recipe roundup and get ready to impress your guests!
Tip 5: For a Chardonnay, whip up some smoked salmon deviled eggs.
These picnic apps are a modern twist on a classic recipe (move over, paprika!) and will complement a tropically lush white wine, like Cambria Katherine's Vineyard Chardonnay. You'll score extra kudos for serving a dish that is low-carb too! Get the full recipe here.
Tip 6: Use ice breakers that will prompt purposeful discussion.
When you’re surrounded by smart and interesting women, there’s no need to default to chit-chat about the weather.Help your guests skip the small talk in favor of some more stimulating dialogue by posing a few conversation starters throughout the evening:
What women inspire you and why?
What qualities make a great female leader?
How are we teaching the young girls in our lives to be strong women?
How do you want to make an impact this year?
Leave room to hear each unique perspective by separating into smaller conversations or going around the room in a group setting.
Tip 7: Most importantly: Remind your pals why you value their friendship and take time to encourage them.
Use the evening as an opportunity to lift up the women in your life for their strengths and courage. After all, your ultimate goal for the night is that everyone will leave feeling appreciated and inspired to continue to grow and lead!
Will you host an outdoor get-together or Zoom for your fave ladies? Share your International Women's Day plans with us on Twitter by tagging @BritandCo and @CambriaWines.
(Photos via Brittany Griffin/Brit + Co)
This post has been updated from a previous post.
If there's one thing that unites all teen TV shows, it's consistently casting people who are way too old to play high schoolers. Riverdale, One Tree Hill, and even Stranger Things have all fallen victim to this trend, boasting a lineup of beefy, chiseled actors who are supposed to be 15 years old. And Outer Banks is no exception.
OBX season 4 part 2 drops on Netflix November 7, and if you're like me, you're going down every rabbit hole to find out as much as possible about your favorite Pogues, which is why I scoured the internet to figure out the actors' ages — and how they compare to their character ages (including the cast member that's almost TWICE their character's age). Keep reading for the full scoop!
The 'Outer Banks' Cast Ages Vs. Their Characters
Jackson Lee Davis/Netflix
Madelyn Cline as Sarah Cameron
Sarah Cameron is 19 years old in Outer Banks season 4, while Madelyn Cline turns 27 on December 21.
Jackson Lee Davis/Netflix
Rudy Pankow as JJ Maybank (or is it JJ Groff now?)
JJ Maybank is around 19 years old when Wes Genrette asks the Pogues to find Blackbeard's treasure. Actor Rudy Pankow is 26.
Jackson Lee Davis/Netflix
Chase Stokes as John B. Routledge
While fearless leader John B. Routledge is also around 19, Chase Stokes is actually 32 years old. That makes him 13 years older than John B.!
Jackson Lee Davis/Netflix
Madison Bailey as Kiara Carrera
In Outer Banks season 4 Kie Carrera's 19 years old. In real life, Madison Bailey is 25.
Jackson Lee Davis/Netflix
Carlacia Grant as Cleo Anderson
Cleo Anderson seems to be around the same age as the rest of the Pogues, which would make her 19. Actress Carlacia Grant is 33 years old.
Jackson Lee Davis/Netflix
Jonathan Daviss as Pope Heyward
Pope Heyward is in the same grade as JJ, Kie, and John B., which would mean he's also 19 during Outer Banks season 4. Jonathan Daviss turned 24 in February.
Jackson Lee Davis/Netflix
Drew Starkey as Rafe Cameron
Rafe Cameron started the series at 19, which would make him 22 now. Drew Starkey just turned 31 on November 4. (Happy late birthday Drew!)
Jackson Lee Davis/Netflix
Austin North as Topper Thornton
Topper Thornton is probably 19 years old in OBX 4, while Austin North is 28 in real life.
Check out How Old The Bridgerton Cast Is for more shocking celeb revelations ;).