Girl’s Night is one of my favorite nights of the month and I look forward to catching up with my best girlfriends. There are five of us that get together monthly…one person hosts and takes care of the food from appetizers to dessert and everyone else brings a bottle of wine. It was my turn to host last week and I had been planning the menu and party favors for months. I have so much fun planning for girl’s night. I gather ideas from Pinterest and other blogs throughout the year, saving them on a secret board so no one will know what I’m planning!
The Menu
Appetizers: Guacamole Bruschetta Toast, Oven-Baked Zucchini Chips, Almond Stuffed Olives
Salad: Kale Caesar with Crispy Garbanzo Bean “Croutons”
Main: Mediterranean Baked Chicken
Dessert: Berry Salad with Balsamic Syrup and Mint and vanilla ice cream (I used Alden’s Organic Vanilla Bean from Whole Foods)
I tend to stick to recipes pretty closely and that seems to work out best for everyone. I didn’t plan the appetizers very well – next time I’ll pick at least one I can make ahead of time to reduce the stress of preparing most everything right when I get home from work. My other trick to make the actual night as low stress as possible is to set the table and get out all of the serving platters I’ll need the night before. I even write the items that will go in each serving dish on a post-it and leave them in the dish so I know right where everything goes! Some may make fun of me for this, but it helps me to feel more in control and prepared. No matter what is served, the best part of girl’s night is getting to see my favorite friends and talking about whatever comes to mind, which can make for some pretty entertaining nights!
Check back next week to see my table decor and party favors (which could also be a great gift for the holidays)!
Erica – Grandma would be so proud of you!!! Setting the table and getting everything ready the night before (with notes too!) is exactly how she used to do it :-)
I knew I got it from somewhere!