I came across this Dalgona Coffee recipe during the summer of 2020 and was completely fascinated by the drink. There were tons of pictures and video tutorials posted online about how to make this unique beverage. Apparently, it was the latest drink craze and it had gone viral.
I proceeded to watch several YouTube videos on the process. It seemed pretty simple and straightforward. After absorbing all of the information that I could, I immediately went to the store to purchase the ingredients. I was very eager to see if I could recreate this drink and take Instagram worthy pictures of my creation.
Honestly, I’m not really a coffee drinker. I prefer coffee with my flavored creamer if I drink it at all. I’m really a tea drinker, but the drink looked so appealing that I figured I could add more sugar to if it turned out to be too strong.
The Outcome
Once I gathered my ingredients and my trusty hand mixer, I placed the instant coffee, sugar, and water into a small mixing bowl and cranked up the mixer. It took a full ten minutes for it fluff up to the right consistency.
I then found a cute clear glass, filled it with cold milk, and carefully spooned the Dalgona coffee mixture on top. Of course, I took several photographs of my creation before I mixed it all together.
The Verdict
The coffee drinkers of my family liked it. They said it was a little strong, but some of them prefer their coffee that way. I, on the other hand, needed to add a little bit of sugar and more milk before I could enjoy the beverage.
Overall, the recipe was a success. It will be added to my list of successful internet recipes that I tried during 2020. I definitely recommend making this at home if you are a big fan of coffee beverages.
Check out the quick and easy recipe below for the list of ingredients and directions.
2tbsp.instant coffee(- It must be instant coffee. No substitutes.)
2tbsp.granulated sugar
2 tbsp. cold water
8oz.milk(- You may use more depending on how strong you like your coffee. You can also use almond milk as a substitute.)
ice( (optional))
Instructions
In a medium bowl, combine sugar, coffee, and water. Using a hand mixer or a whisk, vigorously whisk until mixture turns silky smooth and shiny, then continue whisking until it thickens and holds its lofty, foamy shape. (If whisking by hand, it will take 8 to 12 minutes to get to optimal fluffiness.)
Fill a glass most of the way full with ice and milk, then dollop and swirl the whipped coffee mixture on top, mixing before drinking.
Hosting a Galentine’s Day party is a great way to celebrate the women in your life. Originally, created by the character Leslie Knope on the show Parks and Recreation back in 2010, it was a fictional holiday that actually caught on in in the real world. Since then, women around the world have been gathering for Galentine’s Day parties to honor the women in their lives.
Galentine’s Day is normally observed on February 13th, the day before Valentine’s Day. During this fun celebration, NO BOYS ARE ALLOWED. It’s a GIRLS ONLY gathering. It is also a fun and creative way to celebrate your sister-friends.
Whether you celebrate with one friend or a large group of gal pals, you can celebrate Galentine’s Day in style with these fun ideas. Check out the remainder of this post for great Galentine’s Day party tips for a festive celebration every one can enjoy.
SPECIAL NOTE: Many of these ideas can be done at home or at a public venue. Of course this all depends on if we are out of quarantine and it’s safe to gather in a group publicly again.
1. Come Up With a Great Party Theme
Photo by Carolyn Christine on Unsplash
A good theme sets the tone of a party. Here are some cool party themes for an adult Galentine’s Day party your guests won’t forget.
Cookies and Cocktails
Spa Day
Pancakes and Pajamas (slumber party)
Luau
Masks and Mimosas (pampering/facials)
Paris
Tea Party
Breakfast at Tiffany’s
Glamping
Celebrate a specific decade (a 70’s or 80’s themed party)
Brunch
Chic Picnic
2. Select Your Food and Drinks
Photo By Kelsey Chance on Unsplash
The type of food and drinks you have depend on your theme, budget, and time. However, no matter what your situation may be, it’s always nice have something good for your guests to nibble on while they party the night away.
Order party trays from a local grocery store – This idea is great if you have the money and don’t have time to cook for the event ahead of time.
Create a signature drink that fits the party theme.
Design a Galentine’s Day charcuterie tray with snacks and sweet treats that fit your theme.
Have a pot luck. Ask your friends to bring their favorite dish to the event.
Fix a bunch of appetizers and display them on party trays.
If you are real fancy and can afford it, have it catered.
3. Decorate
Photo by Clem Onojeghuo on Unsplash
Put up party decorations based on your theme. Decorations can come in the form of streamers, balloons, wall decorations, decorative plates and cute cups. For my Galentine’s Day party back in 2016, I went with the standard red and pink hearts and flowers for my decor.
Party decorations can be found everywhere. Places like Target, Michaels, Walmart, and Party City all have wonderful decorations to fit a multitude of themes year round.
4. Plan Fun Activities for the Party
Photo by Steve Johnson on Unsplash
You should have a fun activity or two planned for your guests to participate in while they attend your event.
Here are a few suggestions to get the party started right.
Sip and paint
Arts and crafts
Do each other’s makeup
Secret Cupid gift exchange
Watch romantic comedy movies
Decorate cookies
Play games
Manicures/Pedicures
Wine tasting
Bake and take
Iron Chef Challenge
Create a variety of cocktail recipes
Make handmade Galentine’s cards for each other
5. Make Gift Bags for Your Guests
Create gift bags for your guests to take home with them when the party is over. Party gifts can range from cheap to expensive based on your budget. I put things like lip gloss and fingernail polish in my gift boxes as parting gifts for my guests.
6. Take Plenty of Pictures
Photo by Joseph Kellner on Unsplash
Be sure to take plenty of pictures of the event. Share them with your guests via text, email, or social media.
You could also create a photo collage or slideshow of the evening’s festivities to send to your friends so they will always have a copy of the good times you all shared.
Photo by Nino Kojo on Unsplash
BONUS TIP!
Throw a Virtual Party
Photo by Chris Montgomery on Unsplash
Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, many of us are unable to gather in a group setting. Therefore, we have to be creative if we want to celebrate with loved ones.
Thanks to technology, we can gather virtually with our family and friends. Take a moment to view the tips below if you choose to celebrate with your girlfriends virtually for Galentine’s Day.
Do a virtual class together online.
Have a virtual sip and paint. Order pre-printed canvases online and paint them together online via your favorite virtual app.
Host a virtual party via Zoom.
Send each other Galentine’s Day cards virtually or via regular snail mail.
Have a virtual meal together and chat the night away.
Make PowerPoints about random topics (hot guys, favorite movies, favorite foods, etc..) or create slideshows about each other.
Put on a virtual variety or talent show.
These tips and tricks should help any hostess create a fun Galentine’s Day event that her guests won’t forget.
Have you hosted a Galentine’s Day Party? Do you have any tips? Let me know in the comments below.
Kola and I visited the Cherry Blossom Pop Up Bar located on 7th Street in Washington DC at the end of March. We chose the perfect day to visit. There was no line outside wrapped around the corner and we were actually experiencing lovely Spring-like weather in the city that day.
The bar was a visual bonanza for the senses. Almost every square inch from floor to ceiling was covered in flowers and other representations of Spring in DC. Even the store front windows had treats for the eyes. Each section of the bar had a different display for the visitor to view. My cousin and I made sure we took pictures of each section and captured all of the details that we possibly could.
View the gallery below to see pictures of this creative bar.
I first heard about Galentine’s Day back in February 2015. Actually, it was a meme that came across my Facebook news feed on Valentine’s Day. At first, I wasn’t sure if it was meant to be a joke or if it was a real thing. So I decided to do a bit of investigating to see what it was all about. To my surprise, it was an actual thing. A Valentine’s Day spinoff that was celebrated on February 13th. Apparently, Galentine’s Day is a day to leave the men folk and children at home and hang out with your girlfriends. Essentially, it’s a day to celebrate your favorite lady friends (Ladies celebrating ladies).
Learning about this day was really invigorating. I really loved the idea of a day to celebrate my best girlfriends. It actually made total sense to do so because they are the ones that are a mainstay in my life. My friends are wonderful women from all walks of life that have had nothing but a positive impact on me. Not to mention, it took a lot of anxiety and dread out of Valentine’s Day for me. As a woman that has always been unattached around Valentine’s Day, It gave me something else to focus on other than my single status.
After doing my research, I shared the meme and information with my cousin Kola. She too thought it was a great concept. Of course, since the day had already passed, we were unable to celebrate the occasion. So I decided to file the idea away to use as another great party idea for 2016.
So as soon as January 2016 was ushered in, the wheels started turning in my head about Galentine’s Day. Part of me was excited about having the party, but part of me was nervous about pitching it to my friends. Since Galentine’s Day isn’t really a well known celebration, I didn’t know how the idea would be received by my gal pals. Fortunately, all of them were game and intrigued by the concept. So, I proceeded to come up with plans for the day.
As I began to brainstorm, I wanted to come up with a unique idea. Something that was out of the norm. I didn’t want to do our usual stuff like dinner, lunch, brunch, movies, etc… So one evening during dinner, I tossed around several ideas for Galentine’s Day activities with my friend Andaiye. We actually came up with quite a few novel ideas. We thought about visiting an escape room, having a Moroccan dinner with belly dancers, or having a make-up party. Each idea was fun and different, but we also had to think of budget constraints for myself as well as my guests. Ultimately, I settled for a paint party. Since I ran a paint party company, I was already familiar with the concept. Plus, many of my friends had not participated in a paint party, so it was a great idea all around.
Once the party concept was in place, I immediately started designing the invitations. I decided to use an app called Hobnob for my invitations. Hobnob allows you to design an invite to send via text message. I thought this was a wonderful idea because people always check their phones, even before they check regular mail or email. The app is good to use because it allows guests to RSVP, send messages, chat, and post pictures. Using the Hobnob app was a win/win situation for me and the crew.
After the invites were sent, I hired Melannie B. Designs to conduct the paint party. She specializes in painting on wine glasses. The price range was between $30-40 per person, which I considered to be reasonable. In order to foot the bill for the night’s activity, I charged my guests $20 to help pay for the party host and supplies. I figured $20 was a feasible price for the evening because most people can’t even go out for dinner to a nice restaurant for twenty bucks. So my guests were more than willing to donate the money for a night of fun.
Since I’ve learned many lessons from throwing parties in the past, I decided to order food from our local Wegmans for the event. Ordering food saved a lot of time and energy, especially since I work a full-time job. It freed my time and energy up to focus on decorating and logistics. Plus, it actually turned out to be cheaper than buying a bunch of food and ingredients to feed my guests. All in all, I spent around $150 for all of the party trays created by Wegmans. Most of them were pretty tasty.
For decorations, I purchased supplies from Party City. They are great for providing party supplies for different occasions for a reasonable price. I bought decor to place on the walls and ceilings, table cloths, utensils, and gift boxes. I spent approximately $160 for the party supplies.
By the time February 13th had arrived, I had everything I needed to have a great party. I had planned and prepped everything meticulously in advance so that the set up would go smoothly. Fortunately, my mother graciously allowed me to have the party at her house because she had plenty of space. She had cleaned the house throughout the week so it would be ready the day of the party. All I had to do was bring the food and supplies over to set things up. My wonderful family assisted with the set up of decorations and food. My sister-in-law really did a lot during the last hour of prep in order for me to get dressed and chill before the party started. Thank God for helpful relatives.
The party started at 6pm. Most of my guests had arrived by 6:30. The paint instructor had set everything up thirty minutes before the party was scheduled to start, so we were ready to have some fun. Our instructor and her assistant were lively. They did a great job of demonstrating how to paint on wine glasses and skillfully kept the party moving.
By the end of the evening, everybody had two completed wine glasses to take home and put on display. All of my guests had a wonderful time. We talked, laughed, ate, and drank the night away. Before everyone left, we took plenty of pictures to commemorate the evening. Luckily, I told everyone to wear red or pink in advance in honor of the event. The pictures came out color coordinated and lovely.
All in all, my Galentine’s Day party was a smashing success. Everyone was thrilled to get away from their daily lives to hang out with their gal pals and do something different for a change. In the end, all of the hours put into planning the event were definitely worth it. I was happy to spend time with my friends and provide them with an evening of fun. I definitely look forward to celebrating Galentine’s Day next year with my favorite girlfriends.
Check out the links below to help plan your next Galentine’s Day party.
