Celebrate Galentine's Day with Mason Jars

“I’m so thankful for friendship. It beautifies life so much.”

―L. M. Montgomery, Anne of Avonlea

Happy Galentine’s Day, Mason jar fans!

It’s February and you may or may not be familiar with this chilly month’s newest holiday, Galentine’s (or Palentine’s) Day, celebrated annually on February 13th! Originated in a 2010 episode of Parks and Recreation, the fictional character, Leslie Knope, gathers her gal pals together for waffles and bonding time.

“Every February 13, my lady friends and I leave our husbands and our boyfriends at home and we just come and kick it, breakfast style. Ladies celebrating ladies,” says Leslie.

Whether you embrace Galentine’s (or Palentine’s) Day or not, honoring our friendships is always a good idea! I mean really – what would life be without our besties, our BFFs, our ride-or-dies!

So this year, I urge you to have a Ball with a Mason jar inspired celebration of friendship! I’ve pulled together some fun ideas to spread love, happiness, and little mid-winter cheer to your favorite peeps.

“Find a group of people who challenge and inspire you; spend a lot of time with them, and it will change your life.”

—Amy Poehler

Hosting Your Own Galentine’s Get Together

The original Galentine’s bash involved brunch and I’m totally in love with breakfast food – so that’s an easy sell for me. This love goes so far that when I learned it’s an English tradition to call a newlyweds first meal their “Wedding Breakfast” no matter the time of day that we served breakfast at our reception! True story : )

Galentine’s Brunch Menu:

• Egg Bites
• Jar-cuterie
  • Traditional Breakfast
  • Bloody Mary
  • Brunch
  • Chicken and Waffles
• Berry Trifle
• Cherry Mint Mojitos
  • Mimosas
• Cold brew coffee
  • Flavored liqueur

You may recall that in 2020 we held the first (and so far only) MJL Egg Bite Challenge in which we tested the same egg bite recipes cooked over three different methods: sous vide, instant pot, and stovetop. In this egg-strodinary battle, it was my stovetop method that reigned supreme and is simple to replicate with what you have on hand for your gathering as well. Plus, egg bites prepped in little 4oz Mason jars are adorable as well as easy to serve and mingle with. Check out the blog post to read all about our recipes and techniques!

Charcuterie boards are certainly trendy and delicious but having all that food out for an extended period of time (with hands all over it) may not be for you. I get that! So I propose to you jar-cuterie as your single-serving, portable, tasty alternative to this grazing trend! Take a wide mouth half pint (8oz) or pint (16oz) jar for your container and build from there.

I’ve seen a number of recipes for jar-cuterie and really the sky’s the limit. I pulled together a few brunch themed options you might enjoy as starting points:

Traditional Breakfast Jar-Cuterie

Start with a little maple syrup in the bottom of your jar, then add crispy bacon, waffle sticks, and fruit and/or donut holes on long toothpicks/bamboo skewers. Recipe HERE

Bloody Mary Jar-Cuterie

Start with cocktail sauce in the bottom of your jar, then add pimiento cheese-stuffed mini sweet peppers, sausage snack sticks, salami slices, celery, and more. Recipe HERE

Brunch Jar-Cuterie

This one is similar to the traditional breakfast version above but starts with scrambled eggs and cheese on the bottom of the jar, then add bacon strips, french toast or waffle sticks, and fruit kabobs. Recipe HERE

Blackberry Chicken and Waffles Jar-Cuterie

This is an elegant twist on a classic brunch menu item! Start with blackberry sauce/jam in the bottom of your jar, then add homemade blackberry waffles, skewered grilled chicken and blackberry, and crispy bacon. Recipe HERE

Dessert

And no meal is complete without dessert (am I right?!) and since it’s brunch I figured a fruity dessert would hit the spot! In our Mason Jars & Sumer Living blog, I wrote about berry trifle with its delicious layers of pound cake, cream cheese fluff, and fresh fruit. I think it’s a perfect treat for Galentine’s Day as well!

You can tailor this recipe to whatever fresh or even frozen fruit available to customize it. You may even want to add some mini chocolate chips, whip cocoa powder up with the cream cheese, or even garnish with chocolate shavings or a chocolate heart to bring in a little extra holiday sweetness.

Drinks

And of course you need something to drink! Mimosas are the “go to” drink for brunch and I get it – they’re super tasty, easy to make, feel a little breakfast-y and a little festive. But being so close to that other holiday in February, I wanted something pink or red for Galentine’s Day.

I love mojitos and thought that a cherry lime mojito would be a fun alternative to enjoy with the squad.

I used this recipe HERE for my inspiration.

Cherry Lime Mojitos in Mason Jars:

FOR THE CHERRY SYRUP:

• 1 cup frozen cherries, pitted
• 1 cup water
• ⅔ cup sugar

FOR TWO MOJITOS:

• ¼ cup fresh mint leaves
• 1 lime, quartered
• Ice
• ¼ cup of the cherry syrup
• 4 oz light rum
• Seltzer or sparkling water, for topping off the glasses
• Fresh mint, lime wedges, and cherries, for optional garnish

INSTRUCTIONS

FOR THE FRESH CHERRY SYRUP:

Place the pitted cherries, water, and sugar in a medium saucepan. Place over medium heat and bring to a boil. Stirring frequently, simmer the mixture for about 5 minutes, or until the cherries are very soft.

Carefully pour the mixture into a blender or food processor and blend until completely smooth. If a smoother syrup is preferred, you can strain it, but I don’t mind the small cherry bits!

FOR TWO MOJITOS:

Into a regular mouth pint Mason jar, add the mint and the lime wedges

Using a muddle or the back of a spoon, muddle the mint and limes together in the bottom of the jar for a few seconds or until they are fragrant and the lime wedges are mostly juiced. You could also use our stainless steel, juicing lid here.

Fill the pint jar with ice and then add in the cherry syrup and rum. Screw on a cocktail shaker and give it a gentle mix.

Get two regular mouth, half pint Mason jars, put ice in if desired, pour cocktail mixed out of the shaker, then top off each drink with sparkling water and an adorable short glass straw.

Garnish with additional mint leaves, cherries, and a lime wedge or slice. Serve immediately.

Cold Brew Coffee (or Tea)

If I can find a way to include coffee in an event, I will. Cold brewing is so simple to make with our filter kits and creates a smooth, less acidic version of our beloved bestie, coffee! You can have all sorts of extras on hand to spice up your java like delicious liqueurs, caramel or chocolate drizzles, flavored creamers or syrups – if Starbucks can suggest it, then you can make it happen for your Galentine’s Day get together!

Tablescape

Now you want to set the mood with the perfect table decor before your peeps come over. My favorite, simple party hack is using frog/flower lids on your table to quickly and easily arrange flowers. We have them in a variety of finishes for both regular and wide mouth Mason jars.

Candles are another great way to add elegance to your table and we have several to pick from depending on your style preferences. Also decorative lids can be a simple way to display items or seasonal decor as well. Another unconventional idea is our open bottom Mason jars with decorative lids to serve as bell jars or cloches as centerpieces.

I also use caddies all the time for holding jars of silverware, cream, sugar, condiments and so much more! We’ve recently added food grade pumps so you can have those on your buffet for neat and stylish dispensing.

Mason jars make it simple to put together a table with festive flair – so let your creativity run wild!

Presents for the Pals!

Now that you’ve got a menu set, what about party gifts? In Parks and Recreation, Leslie showers her friends with handmade mosaics of their faces, bouquets of crocheted flower pens and 5,000-word essays on why she loves them so much. While sweet and personalized presents are always a good idea, I have a few other suggestions for your Galentine’s Day. You know your besties so take these ideas and tailor them to your friend group.

Probably our most iconic Mason jar heart accessory is our galvanized, cutout heart inserts. You can put these on any regular or wide mouth Mason jar for a festive touch! Fill your Mason jar with whatever items you’re giving and then top the jar with this adorable lid. They’re not meant for food, but individually wrapped items are fine. Other ideas could include:

• Mini spa day: lotion, nail polish, face masks, or manicure set
• Thinking of you: keychains, funny magnets, or pictures
• Add some sparkle: jewelry, hair do-dads, or glittery accessories
• Cozy up: favorite tea or coffee in a little bag with a pair of fuzzy socks
• Spoil yourself: nice (wrapped) chocolates and a gift card to their favorite place
• Relax and unwind: mini bottles for fun cocktails and other mixers

You can put the items right in the jar if you want or put tissue paper in the jar first to keep the gifts a surprise. Tie ribbons to decorate, put names on the gifts using either heart or fancy shaped chalkboard vinyl labels, and top with your heart cutout insert and band.

You can also send your long distance BFF a thoughtful Galentine’s gift (we can even include a card from you if you let us know in the “order notes” at check out that you want a one and what your special message is).

For a faraway friend, we have so many possible options on our website from caddies to frog/flower lids, soap pumps to decorative lids. But one that I think is extra sweet for your bestie this time of year is our heart cutout tea light candle holder with a handle in oil rubbed bronze. It has a classic beauty to it that fits in with any decor style, brings warmth and light in the middle of winter, and will fill their heart with love!

I hope you’ve found some inspiration to spread some love this February to all your dear ones! I’d love to hear your ideas and suggestions – so drop us a comment below.

You can also find us on social media and share it with us 🙂 We LOVE to hear from you on Galentine’s Day and every day! Join the conversations going on right now on our Facebook business page, Mason Jar Lifestyle, or Facebook group, Living The Mason Jar Lifestyle! We are also on Instagram, Pinterest, and YouTube. Looking forward to connecting with you soon!