Let's Dish with Laura - November 2023

If you've talked to me in the library, you know that I am a huge fan of movies and TV. Something else I'm very passionate about (and need to make an excuse to do more) is cooking & baking. I love trying new foods and recipes and sharing that with loved ones. With this blog series, you get to come along for the ride. So, let's dish!

This month, I wanted to highlight a newer book to our collection - Brilliant Bites: 75 Amazing Small Bites for Any Occasion by Maegan Brown. The book features recipes for tiny appetizers for snacking and gathering. It is perfect for the upcoming holiday season. You’re bound to find something for whatever celebration you have over the next couple months.

Before we get into the recipes, I’ll go over what I love about the book. First, there are a couple pages on everything you need to know for all recipes in the book. Maegan goes over prep, serving, how to transport, and suggestions on quantities. She also has a page on the “essentials”; or the kitchen tools and serving supplies you might need. The recipes themselves are sectioned out into different categories: Party Bites, Holiday Bites, Breakfast Bites, Snack Bites, Dessert Bites, and Savvy Sips. This could be helpful if you’re looking for specific ideas, for example a brunch get-together.

Finally, I love that each recipe has a photo. If I had to give one negative to the last book I covered, it’d be that every single recipe didn’t have a photo (though, that’s understandable considering how many recipes there were). I always appreciate photos of finished products. It gives you an idea of what you’re making and what it should look like. The photos in Brilliant Bites are beautiful too, the styling makes the food look incredible.

Now, let’s get into the recipes. I made three different bites that my coworkers got to enjoy. The recipes I tried were the Elote Bites, Dutch Baby Bites, and Popcorn Bites. Somehow I managed to not get a picture of the finished Dutch Baby Bites and Popcorn Bites, but I did get one of the finished Elote.

The elote were incredibly easy to make. Just throw the baby corn on a grill pan or skillet, mix up the mayonnaise dip, and coat the corn in cheese, Tajin, and cilantro. They’re great with just the extra mayonnaise or with a little hot sauce for a kick. Personally, I prefer off-the-cob elote; but these are perfect for when you want something you can just pick up and eat.

Just like the elote, the dutch babies were easy to make as well. For this recipe, you will need a mini 24- cup muffin pan. The pan will also need to be preheated. Otherwise, you just make the batter then pour melted butter into each cup of the preheated pan, followed by the batter. They’re really great with the suggested raspberries, blueberries, powdered sugar, and maple syrup; but I’m sure you can find plenty of ways to customize them with different fruits or pancake toppings.

Finally, the popcorn bites. I have fond memories of popcorn balls being a favorite of one of my aunts when she was still here. I will say, I did not get the bites to form into the perfect little balls shown in the book, but they were delicious nonetheless. Aside from shaping, they were easy to make. Melt some butter and mini marshmallows in the microwave, then stir in the popcorn and other mix-ins. What I love is the mix of sweet and salty. I think these would also be pretty easy to customize, maybe with other nuts (or leave nuts out if anyone has allergies) or different flavors of M&M’S or chips. The recipe does suggest forming the shapes with buttered hands; but for whatever reason this still didn’t work for me. I more or less started just making popcorn clusters by spooning the mixture onto parchment paper and pressing everything together as much as possible before leaving to set. For the popcorn, I did use a bag of pre-popped movie theater popcorn I picked up.

Overall, I think this book is another book that is great for anyone with little experience in the kitchen. Most recipes don’t require extensive knowledge. And some don’t even require cooking (like the Charcuterie Board Cracker Bites, which are adorable). I can see myself checking this out frequently and trying different recipes, it was pretty hard deciding which ones I wanted to make for the blog. I did bookmark a few others for future use, including the Blooming Onion Bites, which I think has the appeal of a full size blooming onion while being a bit easier to eat.

If you try out any of the recipes, stop in and let me know!