This is a great book especially if you like to entertain. I love the ways she took easy items and made them bite size. The chicken fajita bites are really good and worth the time to stuff those little peppers. We also loved the chopped kale caesar salad cups, in fact I use her dressing for my caesar salads all the time now. If you want to present things in a small individual portion for a lovely presentation, this is the book for you.

The idea of this book is so fun, and some of the recipes were great inspiration for snack nights! However, I was quite underwhelmed with some of her ideas. They seemed like an easy Pinterest post, not something worthy of being printed in a cookbook. However, the creativity and heart is there, and I look forward to using some ideas moving forward!

These all seem fairly time consuming and also use a lot of pre-made ingredients that someone with multiple food allergies, like myself, may not be able to get easily.

I absolutely adore the bite-sized approach to this book. I loooove bringing things but sometimes come up empty as I don’t know what recipe to pick. This cookbook is perfect to grab when I am having that feeling. It has 75 amazing small bites for any occasion, beautiful photos and the recipes are delicious. My husband was flipping through it has requested the Coconut Key Lime Pie Bites and pretty much all of the breakfast bites (his favorite meal). Can’t wait to try them all out!

I want to thank NetGalley, Maegan Brown and Quarto Publishing Group – Rock Point, Rock Point for the e-ARC of this cookbook. Opinions expressed in this review are honest, my own and left voluntarily.

Everybody loves little finger foods that can be picked up and eaten in one or two bites. Maegan Brown has taken this concept a bit further and created one of the most fun cookbooks, Brilliant Bites: 75 Amazing Small Bites for Any Occasion, which has dozens of unique and mouthwatering tiny “bites” that are perfect for everything from tea parties to football get togethers to holiday buffets. These aren’t your mundane cocktail sausages; rather, they are unique flavors and mini dishes, such as bacon macaroni and cheese stuffed in jalapeño peppers, Cinnamon Sugar Cruffin Bites, Avocado Toast Bites, and Pad Thai Bites. The variety is unbelievable.

The recipes are written in the traditional manner with the ingredients listed first, followed by step-by-instructions that are easy to follow. There are well-written and helpful notes before each recipe. In some cases, Brown utilizes convenience foods such as refrigerated crescent rolls and Rolo candies. Most of the recipes are fairly easy and can be made by both beginning and advanced cooks.

One of the best things about this cookbook is that there are beautiful, professional photographs of the dishes. This makes it hard to decide which dish to make next. Incidentally, Brown has featured both sweet and savory, light and heavy small bites, and most readers will want to make several for every occasion. Brown has an imagination, and a talent for beautiful, delicious dishes. Highly recommended.

Special thanks to NetGalley for supplying a review copy of this book.

Fun, fun, Fun, Brilliant Bites by Maegan Brown is full of fun bite-sized versions of some of our favorites! But my absolute favorite in this book was the Coconut Key Lime Pie Bites. How often do we want a taste of something and it's a bit rich and a whole slice is too much when a bite would satisfy this is it!

The cookbook is beautifully photographed with all recipes with an accompanying photo and each recipe on each page, how great is that? The author Maegan Brown envisages that these are more snack bites and great for kids and they are but making a lot of these is a bit time-consuming so I'd probably make these for guests and parties more than for kids. Not that kids wouldn't appreciate them also of course.

There is a message from Meagan, Love at First Bite, and then Bite Essentials. In the Bite Essentials page, it is brief and I noticed that not all of the items that are needed in the recipes are included. One such example that is clearly an essential is decorative party picks or cocktail picks which are pictured in quite a few recipes. Also, I believe it is helpful to show a photo in a cookbook of essential items needed in a cookbook.

The cookbook is divided into the contents as such, party bites, holiday bites, breakfast bites, snack bites, dessert bites, and then savory sips which was a surprise. My favorites were the Candy Cane & Snowman Caprese Bites which were listed under holiday bites. They were healthy and fun. Another favorite was the
Love Bug Bites.

All in all, this is a beneficial book for special occasions or when one is feeling motivated to kick it up a notch for our families making some fun and elevating the moments.

I would like to thank NetGalley and the publisher Quarto Publishing for the opportunity to read and review Brillant Bites by Meagan Brown.

I see what Maegan is trying to do with this book and it's a nice idea in theory, but honestly I think every single one of these recipes is more trouble than it's worth. Style over substance.
For people that don't cook often (if at all) and want to impress other people who also don't cook, this is great.

If you've got any kind of cooking experience, there's a lot more you can do for less effort I'm really sorry to say.

This book is full of great ideas to bring to your next gathering or party. Recipes are simple and look easy to follow

This book contains an interesting collection of recipes for small bites, or hors d'oeuvres. I was a bit disappointed to find that the majority of the recipes started with pre done ingredients (crackers, biscuit dough, etc.), I was expecting a more "from scratch" approach. That being said, most of the items in this book appeared to be quick and easy to make, so it would be perfect if that is what you are looking for. I saw a lot of recipes that were new to me (such as ramen bites). I thought that many of the food recipes contained in this book were kid friendly. I was not expecting the collection of drink recipes at the back of the book, and found a few that I intend to try.

It is a truth universally acknowledged that a cookbook with lots of pictures is simply a better cookbook. This one falls in that category. The title tells readers what to expect and I was also pretty surprised to find so much variety in what this book offered. The recipes also felt accessible and easy to follow as well. Highly recommend.

Don’t look through this while hungry! Most of the recipes seem quite time-consuming but I plan to make the loaded baked potato chips and banana split bites. If you’re hosting a dinner party and want to impress your guests, check this cookbook out as it will give you lots of ideas. Thank you to NetGalley for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest review!

I am a huge fan of The BakerMama and have followed her website and social media for quite a while. I have her Beautiful Boards Cookbook in my collection and was excited for the opportunity to review her newest cookbook Brillant Bites.

Brilliant Bites was an enjoyable cookbook, filled with delicious small bites. I loved the added bonus of seasonal foods and drinks, perfect for any occasion. From family gatherings to holiday-themed bites, this book made appetizers so much fun and stress-free. I have made the Charcuterie Board Cracker Bites (adorable idea!) and the Chicken Fajita Bites which both got rave reviews from family and friends!  The decision to include stunning pictures with each recipe was carefully considered and provided visual ideas and presentations for entertaining. I can't wait to try more recipes!

I am already planning to gift this cookbook as part of a housewarming present for a family member. It is a must-have for anyone who enjoys effortless and delicious stress-free entertaining. Many thanks to NetGalley, Rock Point Publishing, and Maegan Brown for providing me with the ARC copy of Brilliant Bites in exchange for my honest review.

I am rating this 4 stars.

I am a Chef and I love when I am approved to read ARCS of cookbooks. I loved reading the different recipes and I love finding new ideas to incorporate into my home with my family as well as in the kitchen to my clients.

This cookbook is all about small bites, whether appetizers, bite-sized breakfast food, or dessert. While some of the recipes just seem to be mini versions of the regular sized dish, there are some very unique recipes that I'd never considered before. For example, meatball lasagna cups or cinnamon sugar cruffins. I was also impressed at a recipe for apple fritter bites that are baked, not fried. I've never made apple fritters because I didn't want to do the deep fryer thing. I'm definitely going to try these. The recipes are each accompanied by an appetizing photo. This is one of my criteria for a good cookbook--gotta see the finished product! And most recipes appear to be fairly easy to assemble. The last section of the book contains some unique cocktail recipes, including a pumpkin paloma, dirty dill margarita, and the sage bee. I'd recommend this rather unique cookbook, particularly for the simplicity of the recipes and the great photos.

This compilation of small bites is broken down into parties, special occasions, breakfast bites, snacks, and dessert bites. It is a lovely collection of finger food recipes and includes some enticing photos that will make you want to recreate the recipes.

Brilliant Bites by Maegan Brown is just that ... brilliant! The recipes in this cookbook are absolutely perfect for hosting and sharing with loved ones. Maegen does a wonderful job at keeping the recipes unique, yet appealing to all ages! There are so many recipes in this book I plan to make for holidays, football Sundays, and family parties. In the book, Brown shares a variety of bite-sized foods across several categories, including indulgent cocktails! The simple recipes appealed to me - a novice in the kitchen and inspired me to try some new foods out! This cookbook is perfect for a skilled cooks and beginners alike. Highly recommend!

My friends and I love to have themed potlucks and I’m always looking for inspiration for them, so the idea of Maegan Brown’s Brilliant Bites really appealed me. In the book, Brown shares a variety of bite-sized foods across several categories: party, holiday, breakfast, snack, dessert, and even sips. While some recipes inspired me (such as the sushi tacos and elote), there were several that seemed a bit basic (for instance, the loaded baked potato chips and Monte Cristo crackers) or puzzled me because I think they would work better as an actual dish than a miniaturized serving (like the pad thai cups and ramen bites). I also found the holiday section a bit too cutesy for my taste. My favorite category was actually the cocktail one and I’m exited to try a few of the drinks from it. Overall, this recipe book is a decent collection, but it seems more geared to kid gatherings and casual get-togethers. 3.5 stars rounded up.

Thank you to Rock Point and NetGalley for an advance reader copy in exchange for an honest review. My review was posted on August 13, 2023 to https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5733053307.

This is an adorable cookbook and the foods are OH SO cute.

For me, they were a bit too simple. Recipes include pad thai, ramen bites, taco salad cups, chicken parmesan meatballs, mac and cheese bites. I was expecting (and hoping) to see recipes for bites that exist purely as bites. Things that taste better as tiny things. Instead, I found it just to be a cookbook giving permission to make normal food, but really tiny.

If I'm eating mac and cheese, I need a bowl and a spoon and a warm blanket, not five noodles at a time.

Chapters include
- Party Bites
- Holiday Bites
- Breakfast Bites
- Snack Bites
- Dessert Bites
- Savvy Sips

My favourite chapter was the Party Bites - some ideas for bringing a snack platter out of the norm. The drinks chapter was the weakest for me as it was simply making regular drinks in smaller glasses.

Thank you to Netgalley for a copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

Brilliant Bites
75 Amazing Small Bites for Any Occasion
Meagan Brown
“The recipes in this book are for bite size food or finger foods. Bite foods are appetizers, munchies, tasties, and snackies. When serving these you do not have to have a plate, a napkin is sufficient. Many of the recipes in this book can be prepped ahead of time or fully prepared and kept warm in the oven until ready to serve. Plan for 2 or 4 per person. If it is a dessert plan for 2 per person.” You should already have the tools needed to create these yummy bites. Suggestions for serving the bites are platters and boards, cocktail glasses, honey dipper, food picks, cocktail napkins, appetizer plates and/or small bowls.
I found several recipes I want to try including Steak Frites Bite: simple, easy and so cute. Enchilada Egg Rolls look so yummy. Imagine the look on your guests’ faces when they see Meatball Lasagna Cups. A tiny Chopped Kale Caesar Salad keeps the meal healthy. Pad Thai Cups looks difficult, but the directions are explicit, and the ingredients make me want to try this one. I think I will be a pushover for the cup recipes such as Taco Salad Cups. The cracker bites look cute and yummy too such as Thanksgiving Cracker Bites. For the Christmas season how about Candy Cane & Snow Man Bites, the candy canes are shrimp.
Each year we host a neighborhood Christmas Dinner. I may have to make some changes this year and include a lot of these recipes. Neighbors you can expect Candy Cane & Snowman Bites, Deep Dish Pizza Bites, and Frito Chili Pie Bites.
There is a section on drinks that I want to try out. An Orange Cream Mimosa sounds good.
There is an index in the back of this book that is invaluable. Now I’m ready to start cooking.

So many great ideas! Creative and fun and beautiful! So many new twists on old favorites. I am excited to test out many of the recipes. This book would make a great gift.