What Can I Bring?: Recipes to Help You Live Your Guest Life - A Cookbook

by Casey Elsass

In What Can I Bring?, veteran food and cookbook writer and guest extraordinaire Casey Elsass takes the stress out of the partygoer’s eternal dilemma with 75 recipes that will make you the talk of the party—for the right reasons.

In a room full of bags of chips, be the most desired dip with Golden Ratio Guac or Seven Onion Dip. Put down the $12 bottle of pinot grigio and pick up a tray of Jell-O Cocktail Shots. Discover a world of standout brunch dishes, such as Cream-Soaked Cinnamon Rolls or Bagel Panzanella. When you’re on dessert duty, choose from Buttermilk Brownies, Apple + Chinese Five-Spice Pie, Very Creamy Ice Cream, or death-by-chocolate Bruce Bogtrotter Cake. And when the host instructs you to bring yourself, come prepared with giftable treats like Seasoned Oyster Crackers or Homemade Hot Fudge. With plenty of options and adaptations for special diets and allergies, including vegan, gluten-free, and nut-free recipes, and detailed instructions for packing and serving for minimal stress on-site, this book is your road map for crowd-pleasing party fare. The only thing you’ll be taking home is the title of MVP—Most Valuable Partygoer.

Genres: Cookbooks, Cooking, Nonfiction, Food

232 pages, Kindle Edition

Published May 20, 2025

Reviews

[Lauren McCabe · Rating 5 out of 5]

So good. So funny. Want to make everything immediately. I borrowed from the library but will probably just buy a copy to have.

[Miss✧Pickypants ᓚᘏᗢ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyed the author's jaunty tone and their extremely well-written recipes very much. Inside you will also find colourful pictures for the majority of the dishes along with excellent tips for being a good guest. While the book presents as one of dishes to make and take, many could just be made to eat at home.

The first half of book contains easy to make familiar dishes for a crowd (think dips, salads and drinks). The remainder of book is a mixed bag of dishes ranging in difficulty levels, from seasoned oyster crackers to homemade fried doughnuts.

A nice touch is how attentive the recipes are to all the various dietary restrictions that are fairly commonplace and the offered tweaks to adjust when feasible. Seasoned cooks may not learn much but newer cooks would benefit greatly from the recipes and tips put forth in this lively book.

[Grace · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought this was a great cookbook, and I thought the concept was fun. Very allergen friendly, and the layout and amount of photos were all great. Bookmarked a good number of recipes that I'm excited to try.

[Pamela Sue · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pretty pictures, interesting descriptions, but nothing I would want to make. The author’s palate does not match mine. I’m sensitive to pepper, a little goes a long ways for me. Author likes pepper, includes it in fresh berries, in desserts.

[Kristen Barenthaler · Rating 3 out of 5]

The recipes and images look delicious and I think they’d make great additions to any party.

[Mysteryfan · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fun little cookbook. It is all about party dishes. Some are quite easy; others require work. They all sound doable and tasty

[Relyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'll tell you this. I want to be Casey Elsass's friend in real life. He's hilarious, generous, thoughtful, and helpful. Likely also a bunch of fun. I knew we could be real friends when I read about his Bruce Bogtrotter Cake. ;0)

[Jen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I already made her subway cookies and they were awesome. I love the whole concept of this book.

[Luke Hillier · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really love the specific, honed-in premise of this cookbook and the fact that it owns and celebrates those limitations. There are no main courses here and that actually makes me more inclined to keep it on my shelf because it means it doesn't compete with so many other cookbooks. There are a lot of recipes here that feature a clever twist, whether the addition of a surprising ingredient, a strategic store-bought item, or a unique technique, that also make it feel innovative enough. However, that is a bit of a double-edged sword as there are also lots of recipes that require one random ingredient that is hard to find (in Columbus, Ohio anyway) and/or not something I necessarily need in bulk just to make one dish for. He also has a semi-helpful difficulty rubric (In Your Sleep for easy recipes, Roll Up Your Sleeve for the mid-tier bulk, and Bragging Rights for the challenges) and the hardest ones just feel audaciously daunting in a way that deters more than inspires. There's probably about a third here that I realistically don't have much interest in attempting, but plenty of others that feel fun and exciting to taste and try.

[Laura · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a cookbook for potlucks, dinner parties and visits - the recipes are generally scaled up, and not for everyday cooking (multiple steps, etc). The drinks and salad chapters are the strongest; the cucumber salad is different than others in the best way. I also liked the gluten free cake - there are two desert chapters, and that there are options given for a few of the deserts so that you can alter the flavor profile to suit your taste or occasion.

This is a useful book, with photos for most but not all recipes. But I don't see it becoming a part of my heavy rotation.

[Laura · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good collection of recipes, but mostly for sharing at gatherings and special occasions.
Dips-s & v salsa verde, pico de sandia ( watermelon), Drinks, salads-veg Caesar, pickled potato, ranch, halloumi caprese, brunch-easy trifle, loaded rosti, gochujang cheddar scones, breads-Parker house rolls, scrunchy (filo & feta) bread, *focaccia, desserts—blackberry basil pie, subway cookies, lemon bar cake, peach upside-down cake, flourless choc cake, pepper strawberries, misc-bread dipping oil, plum & walnut jam

* this is very good, and easy

[Breanna · Rating 2 out of 5]

Definitely filled with creative, scaled up ideas to bring to an event—including plenty of appetizer dips and cocktails. Many recipes require multiple steps or uncommon ingredients, only a small handful of which I would actually be inspired to recreate and share with others. This may be best suited for an experimental cook and couples or adult gatherings, not necessarily family picnics or potlucks. Not what I was anticipating.

[Brianne McMahan · Rating 5 out of 5]

BRB BUYING NOW

Wow! Is my mouth watering?! All these recipes are right up my alley; normally something I can’t say for a cookbook.

Only a couple specialty ingredients sprinkled throughout. Nothing too daunting or far out of reach (at least for a rural 20 something American mom), looking at you Half Baked Harvest.

[Nadia · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent cookbook with a plethora of recipes on what to bring when invited to parties or gatherings at friends' houses, especially for those of us that cannot show up empty-handed when told to "just bring ourselves". Lots of delicous recipes!

*recieved an e-ARC from Edelweiss

[Stephanie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nothing new or different. A lot of recipes don’t have a photo. And something about the photos makes the food not look the most appealing. There wasn’t a single recipe that I wanted to make. However, this might appeal to other cooks. Most of the recipes are not complicated.

[Janet · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book: the recipes, the writing, the humorous tone. I’d love to get a copy of my own and wish the author would come to my next party, not just for his food; he seems very generous and lots of fun. If only I still lived in Brooklyn!

[Beka · Rating 4 out of 5]

I like the author's fund, sassy style of writing. And though some of the recipes baffled me (why would anyone want a complicated, vegan, faux fois gras?), there were plenty that looked delicious and worthwhile.

[Andrea Press]

This was Cambridge March 2026 cookbook club. I didn't get cookbook till late so I didn't go. There weren't many recipes I liked. I made the Vegan elote corn dip that was supposed to be like a cheesy dip but it didn't come out good at all and I had to throw it away.

[Bradley · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a handy cookbook to have in your arsenal when you're invited to a gathering and you want to bring something.

[Bethany Radcliffe]

One of those cookbooks with recipes I’ll *actually* make. Highly recommend!

[Maggie · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 ⭐️

[Emily · Rating 4 out of 5]

Super decent cookbook, good ideas nice delivery

[Lia Marcoux · Rating 2 out of 5]

Love the concept more than the delivery.

[Wanda ❣️ · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved this. I borrowed a copy from the library but it absolutely needs to be on my shelf

[Juli Anna · Rating 2 out of 5]

Another example of trendy, click-bait-y, pedal-to-the-metal cooking. Beyond the food not really being to my taste, I quickly exhausted of this author's name-dropping.

[Allie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Wittily written, looking forward to trying out some of the recipes.

[Amy]

I think I found my mini challenge for the year. Try them all!

[Jane · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nice cookbook with some good recipes.

[Laura Reinhardt · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked the unique concept of this cookbook. The recipes also looked delicious.

[Olivia Ambrose · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cool. No mains.