Build-Your-Own Bites Station

Let your guests create their own bites from a delicious variety of crackers and crisps paired with an amazing assortment of toppings with this Build-Your-Own Bites Station. The possibilities are endless!

Your Snack, Your Way

So sophisticated and so easy! Let your guests create a snack that satisfies with a Build-Your-Own Bites Station! Choose from a variety of crackers and crisps and a delicious selection of fresh, flavorful toppings to build that one-of-a-kind snack. It’s sure to please everyone!

Fresh Air, New Inspiration

I recently had the opportunity to attend a the Fresh Air Retreat for food bloggers in New Orleans. Y’all, it was the best time! Retreats like this are such a wonderful way to meet and connect with fellow food bloggers. In a few short days we are able to learn, grow and connect with each other. We formed friendships that will last a lifetime as we support and encourage each other in business and in life.

During the retreat we take the time to discuss our businesses, explore the city, meet with great brands and, most importantly, eat amazing food!

If you love great recipes, you should definitely check out the amazing food bloggers I was lucky to attend this retreat with. They are all so talented and dedicated to sharing quality recipes you’ll be successful at making and enjoy eating with your loved ones.

• Liz from The Lemon Bowl
• Lauren from The Curious Plate
• Elizabeth from Confessions of a Baking Queen
• Ari from Well Seasoned Studio 
• Danielle from The Salty Cooker
• Mackenzie from Grilled Cheese Social
• Jordan from JZ Eats
• Nick from Macheesmo

Yes, Chef!

Chef Trimell set up a stunning station of crackers with a variety of toppings so we could build our own cracker bites. I love both Raincoast Crisps and La Panzanella crackers and put them on my charcuterie boards often. The quality and delicious taste are incomparable.

Getting creative with these crackers in different ways, especially in bite form, was so inspiring for me. Some of my favorite combinations that Chef prepared and I created myself are:

• Pear, Walnut and Cinnamon Cream Cheese Bites: Original Raincoast Crisps, whipped cream cheese with cinnamon, red wine poached pear, and a glazed walnut (I’m eager to try making red wine poached pears with some leftover red wine next time we have some 😉
• Peanut Butter Berry Bites: Wild Blueberry and Almond Raincoast Crisps, whipped cream cheese with cinnamon, strawberry jam, a slice of fresh strawberry and a drizzle of chunky peanut butter (I’ve been fixing a few of these for breakfast some mornings with my coffee since returning from the retreat)
• S’mores Crisp Bites: Salty Date and Almond Raincoast Crisps, gourmet chocolate, toasted marshmallow (I’m definitely going to start adding Raincoast Crisps to my s’mores boards from now on. They complement the melty marshmallow and chocolate so well. The text of these crisps is so perfect for a s’mores)
• Strawberry Nut Bites: Salty Date and Almond Raincoast Crisps with chunky natural peanut butter, strawberry jam, fresh strawberry slice, glazed walnut (this has become my new favorite afternoon snack. I’ll pull out a few crisps and fix them up like I would a PB&J sandwich. So satisfying!)

Endless Possibilities

I’m so inspired by this Build-Your-Own Bite Station that next time we host a party, I’m going to set out a variety of crackers, crisps and toppings so everyone can graze and build several bites to snack on. The topping possibilities are endless:

• Goat cheese
• Cream cheese
• Mozzarella
• Smashed avocado
• Fruits
• Pickled Veggies
• Smoked salmon
• Fresh herbs
• Nuts
• Spreads: peanut butter, chocolate hazelnut, almond butter, jams

A Girl and Her Charcuterie

Another highlight of the retreat was getting to build our own charcuterie boards with Del Duca. Y’all know I was on board for this experience! 😉

Del Duca set out an incredible variety of their finest charcuterie along with some amazing cheeses and an impressive selection of accompaniments so we could each build and enjoy our own boards. There are few things I love more than building a beautiful and delicious board so this experience brought me so much joy.

I started building my board with a little wedge of gouda, a few slices of creamy brie and some crumbles of cranberry Wensleydale. Next came the tastiest trio of Del Duca’s charcuterie meats: Calabrese, Prosciutto and Coppa. My favorite accompaniments were all available so I added honey, fig jam, marcona almonds, dried apricots, glazed pecans, marinated olives, green grapes, Honeycrisp apple slices, a fresh strawberry and a little leftover chocolate from our bite building station.

To say I thoroughly enjoyed this little board would be an understatement. Served alongside Raincoast Crisps and La Panzanella crackers with a refreshing glass of Pinot Grigio, I was in heaven!

So Much Fun and Yum

This was my second time to attend a Fresh Air Retreat hosted by the incredible Liz from The Lemon Bowl and Lauren from The Curious Plate. They are the hostesses with more than the mostess and I feel so honored to have been selected to attend these retreats.

If you’re a fellow food blogger and interested in attending, you should definitely apply. It’s an amazing experience that you are guaranteed to enjoy and grow from!

A big thank you to Amanda of Arrae Creative for capturing the retreat so beautifully. As much as I love taking pics, it was so nice to have Amanda with us to take all the pictures so we could put our phones down and immerse ourselves in each conversation and experience.

And another shout-out to Chef Trimell for preparing the most delicious and memorable meals for us throughout the week. From the red beans and rice to the shrimp boil to the Mac & cheese stuffed chicken wings, every bite was so thoughtful and tasty.

I hope you’re as inspired as I was by the Build-Your-Own Bites Station that I got to experience at this retreat. It’s definitely going on my list of ways to entertain with ease so that everyone is involved and gets to have fun with their food.

If you make a Build-Your-Own Bites Station, be sure to snap a picture and share it with me or tag me on Instagram @thebakermama so I can see. 😍 I love seeing how inspired and creative y’all get with the recipes I share. Enjoy!

xoxo,

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