Galentine's Day Brunch

Yesterday I hosted a Galentine's Day Brunch for some of my closest friends and co-workers. We had the best time celebrating girlhood! We spent hours yapping and laughing! Definitely plan to make this party an annual tradition.

Greg was a huge help by taking Jack out of the house for a few hours so we could have some girl time. The attire was pajamas or loungewear, and I got a dozen pairs of Valentine's socks for everyone to wear when they came in so we were all comfy + cozy.

I served small bites for a brunch spread - complete with a charcuterie board, hummus + tzatziki, deviled eggs, donuts & muffins, etc. The drink station had bottles champagne and la croix, and carafes filled with cucumber water, espresso martinis, and juices for mimosas - orange, cranberry and the crowd favorite: strawberry lemonade.

On the invite, I requested all the girls to bring a wrapped gift of one of their favorite things ($20-$25) to do an exchange. We drew numbers and each picked a gift and opened it. Then we played a round of a white-elephant type dice game to pass left, pass right, and swap until we ended up with our final gift. There were such good items: lipstick + gloss, perfume sets, gua sha tool, coffee mug, and a sex toy to name a few!

My heart is so full, and I feel incredibly lucky to have such amazing women in my life.

Chocolate English Toffee Bars

My dear co-worker's birthday was yesterday, so I looked on Pinterest for a sweet treat to bake for the Buying Team. Knowing her favorite candy is Heath English Toffee, I landed on a toffee cookie bar. I made a few tweaks to the original recipe, as I typically do. Sharing my version below.

ingredients

1.5 cups butter (3 sticks), softened
3/4 cup brown sugar
3/4 cup granulated sugar
2 eggs
2 tsp vanilla
3.5 cups flour
1 tsp salt
3 cups chocolate chips
1 cup toffee bits

directions

{1}
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease/spray a 9x13 inch pan and set aside.
{2}
In a stand mixer, cream together butter and sugars. Add eggs and vanilla.
{3}
Add flour and salt. Dough will be very thick - if needed, use a wooden spoon to mix until just incorporated.
{4}
Spread dough into the prepared baking dish. Use clean hands to press down and ensure it is even, especially the corners.
{5}
Bake for 22-25 minutes, until golden and a toothpick comes out clean from the middle.
{6}
Immediately after removing from oven, sprinkle the dough with chocolate chips. Return to the oven, bake 1-2 minutes to just soften the chips.
{7}
Using a rubber spatula, spread the melted chocolate over the entire surface. Top with toffee bits.
{8}
Cool completely before cutting into squares. Refrigerating helps speed this up. Enjoy and store leftovers in an airtight container.