Amazing Spreads 50 Spread Recipes For Any Occasion

By Jideon F Marques

Spread the Love There’s just something exciting about approaching a spectacular spread where you get to choose from a beautiful variety of foods to customize your own meal, snack, dessert, or drink. Every time I set out a spread for my loved ones, it’s a huge success. Not only is the preparation relatively simple, but the versatility of each spread is perfect for pleasing everyone, even particular eaters. A spread invites conversation, creativity, and experimentation. Food is known to bring people together, and what better way to encourage this than with an impressive array of food for everyone to gather around and fill their plates with in their own unique ways, sparking conversation with others about their favorite foods and choices, and possibly even influencing one another to try something new. Plus, there isn’t that pressure to try everything or eat particular foods in a certain way, and each person can choose how much they want of each item. Best of all, once you set out the spread, you can relax and enjoy it too. It’s a proven way to make everyone feel happy and gratified while you enjoy the experience with them. Here are the keys to a successful spread.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Clube de Autores
• Release date: Mar 30, 2024

Book preview

Amazing spreads

Amazing spreads

50 spread recipes for any occasion

BY: Jideon Marques

Copyright © 2024 by Jideon Marques. All Rights Reserved.

License and Copyright

No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system now known or hereafter invented, without written permission from the publisher. The only exception is by a reviewer, who may quote short excerpts in a published review.

This document is aimed to provide accurate and reliable information in the light of the selected topic and all covered issues. This book is sold with the idea that the publisher is not required to render an officially permitted, accounting, or otherwise, qualified services. If advice is required in any way, professional or legal, seasoned experts of the profession should be consulted.

Every information given herein is claimed to be consistent and truthful, in case of any liability, with regard to inattention or otherwise, by any use or abuse of processes, policies, or directions contained within is solely the responsibility of the recipient reader. Under no conditions will any blame or legal responsibility be held against the publisher for any damages, monetary loss or reparation, due to the information herein.

The information herein is provided entirely for informational purposes, and it is universal. The information is provided without any type of guarantee assurance or a contract.

The trademarks that are used within the document are without any consent, and the publication of the trademark is without the backing of the trademark owner or any support. All brands and trademarks used within this book are to clarify the text only, and they are owned by their owners, not affiliated with this publication. Respective authors of the publication own all copyrights not held by the publisher.

Spread the Love

There’s just something exciting about approaching a spectacular spread where you get to choose from a beautiful variety of foods to customize your own meal, snack, dessert, or drink. Every time I set out a spread for my loved ones, it’s a huge success.

Not only is the preparation relatively simple, but the versatility of each spread is perfect for pleasing everyone, even particular eaters.

A spread invites conversation, creativity, and experimentation. Food is known to bring people together, and what better way to encourage this than with an impressive array of food for everyone to gather around and fill their plates with in their own unique ways, sparking conversation with others about their favorite foods and choices, and possibly even influencing one another to try something new. Plus, there isn’t that pressure to try everything or eat particular foods in a certain way, and each person can choose how much they want of each item.

Best of all, once you set out the spread, you can relax and enjoy it too. It’s a proven way to make everyone feel happy and gratified while you enjoy the experience with them.

Here are the keys to a successful spread.

BALANCE

When I plan a spread for any occasion, I always try to have a good variety of foods to choose from so everyone will have options that will satisfy them. If it’s a meal spread, I strive for a balance of protein, vegetables/fruits, and indulgences. If it’s a dessert spread, I think beyond my own preferences and try to have as many choices as is reasonable so that there will be something for everyone. If it’s a special occasion or holiday, I try to mix regular dishes with more festive ones to make it remarkable.

Determining the amount of food to have on hand is also a balancing act, with several factors to keep in mind, including the number of guests, the time of day the spread will be served, whether it will be a meal or just a snack, and if there will be other foods served before or after it.

VERSATILITY

I want you to use this book as a resource for inspiration for any occasion. This means that you don’t have to recreate a spread exactly as I have laid it out. Feel free to make a spread your own by serving what works best for your occasion and the people you are entertaining.

The recipes throughout this book can be mixed and matched to meet the needs of the occasion or meal you’re planning, or even made by themselves. There are hundreds of great recipes, along with store-bought inspiration, to choose from, so browse this book and put together a spread that best suits you and your guests.

EASE OF SERVING

One of the biggest benefits of serving a spread, whether you set it up family-style down the middle of the dining table or buffet-style on the kitchen counter, is that everyone can see what their options are, serve themselves, and choose the foods they want to eat. You don’t have to oversee what and how much each person will be eating by plating it for them, and your guests don’t have to worry about possibly offending you if they don’t try everything on offer.

This way of serving also helps with preventing food waste because each person gets to decide what and how much of it they want. You can even encourage everyone to serve themselves in stages so that they can enjoy the variety instead of committing to a full plate. For example, when we make the Top Your Own Waffle spread, we fix one waffle one way and enjoy it, and then if we want another waffle, we return to the spread and fix another one.

THE DIY CONCEPT

A lot of the spreads in the book have a DIY concept, such as build your own or top your own spreads, which is a clever way to serve a spread. It allows your family and guests to get involved in designing their own meals, leaving them with a memorable and delicious experience.

For this type of spread, all you need is a base main dish and a variety of toppings, from topping your own toast and building your own burrito bowl to blending your own smoothie. A food spread that lets each person build their own meal turns it into an experience or activity of sorts, which adds fun, creativity, and engagement to the gathering.

Setting out ingredients buffet-style without having to guess whether someone wants tomatoes on their burger or corn on the cob with their barbeque alleviates any stress on my end. Sure, the thought of preparing all the toppings can be intimidating, but it is truly worth it. It can be so satisfying to know you have a great variety of foods that will please everyone.

ENJOYMENT

My goal is for you to get excited about planning these spreads, have fun making the recipes, and create magical moments that you enjoy with your loved ones. From seeing the excitement on everyone’s faces as they approach a great spread to the elation in their conversations as they fill their plates, design their own meals, and eat the fabulous foods is truly something special.

How to Use This Book

The fifty spreads featured in this book include some or all of the following components to help guide you with your planning when making, assembling, and serving a spread.

SERVING

This is the number of people that the spread will accommodate. You can adjust the food amounts accordingly to fit the needs of your gathering.

SUPPLIES

The items listed here are the out-of-the-ordinary things needed specifically for that spread, like a waffle maker or blender.

RECIPES (LIST)

This is a list of the recipes that are featured in that particular spread. These recipes are included at the end of each spread section.

NOTES

These are my helpful tips and tricks for each spread and include information such as recipes you can make in advance, shortcuts, additional ideas for serving the spread, and how to use up any leftovers.

SPREAD ITEMS

These are the ingredients you will need in addition to the featured recipes you are making. They are most often toppings and accompaniments. Unless stated otherwise, any prepared items can be store-bought. There may be some basic recipes included in this section too. These basic recipes are found in their own section in the back of the book and mostly include things that appear multiple times in the book and/or can also be store-bought if you prefer.

BUILD YOUR SPREAD

These are the steps that guide and organize you in the overall making, assembling, and serving of the spread so that you can serve all the foods at their freshest and desired temperatures.

RECIPES

All the featured recipes listed earlier can be found here in the order that they are listed.

What You’ll Need

It certainly depends on the spread, but definitely plan to have a variety of platters, boards, serving dishes, and serving utensils on hand. Each spread also lists any additional supplies you may need that are not listed here.

A lot of the main dishes can be served directly from the pans you cooked them in, such as mac ‘n’ cheese, soups, casseroles, and baked goods. You could serve a lot of the toppings and accompaniments out of the containers they come in, but I prefer to transfer them to serving dishes so that everyone isn’t dipping into the original

containers. If it’s a meal spread, set out larger plates for your guests so that all the food will fit nicely on their plates. If it’s an appetizer or grazing spread, set out smaller plates so that guests can come and go from the spread.

FOR THE SPREADS

•

Round, rectangular, and square platters and boards

•

Small serving plates (5–10 inches each)

•

Medium serving plates (10–15 inches each)

•

Large serving plates (15–20 inches each)

•

Mini ramekins (1–2 ounces each)

•

Dip bowls (3–4 ounces each)

•

Small serving bowls (10–20 ounces each)

•

Medium serving bowls (20–40 ounces each)

•

Large serving bowls (40–60 ounces each)

•

Small jars (4 ounces each)

•

Serving utensils (spoons, forks, tongs, ladle, cake server)

•

Spade knife

•

Soft cheese knife

•

Flat cheese knife

•

Cheese plane

•

Cheese spreaders

•

Extra-small spoons

•

Honey dipper

•

Seasoning shakers

•

Food picks, skewers, or toothpicks

•

Pitchers and carafes

FOR SERVING

•

Small serving plates (6–7 inches each)

•

Large serving plates (8–10 inches each)

•

Medium serving bowls (8–10 ounces each)

•

Forks, spoons, and/or knives

•

Napkins (cloth or fun, festive paper ones to fit the occasion)

•

Food picks, skewers, or toothpicks

Planning a Spread

Here’s everything you need to know about planning a spread, including tips for shopping, quantities, preparation, serving, and more. But before you start doing these things, I recommend that you first check with your guests to see if anyone has a food allergy, intolerance, aversion, or dietary preference. A serve-yourself meal, where the choices are separated into different dishes, allows for you to accommodate everyone easier. You can prepare specific dishes and label them for those who can only eat certain foods. Keep in mind that cross contamination can be an issue for those with food allergies, so be sure to ask for specifics so that you can separate dishes and serving utensils even further if necessary.

SHOPPING

For each of the spreads in the book, I have shared all the ingredients for the recipes and building the spreads to make shopping easy for you. You most likely have a lot of the basics and accompaniments already in your pantry or refrigerator. I encourage you to choose the foods your family and friends enjoy most and substitute whatever you want.

Building a spectacular spread doesn’t need to break the bank. Use what you have on hand and what’s convenient and affordable. It’s all about setting out a delicious variety of foods and bringing your loved ones together to enjoy it. Like I said in my Beautiful Boards book, if you board it—or set it out, in the case of spreads—they will come (and are sure to be satisfied!).

Also, feel free to include as many store-bought and take-out items in your spreads as you would like. I want the process to be as easy as possible for you.

SHOP YOUR KITCHEN

For everyday spreads, I encourage you to use what you have on hand and make a marvelous meal out of it. We enjoy either the Stuff Your Own Baked Potato or Top Your Own Mac ‘n’ Cheese spread almost every week as a way to use up leftovers we have in the refrigerator from other meals we’ve had that week. A little broccoli, some leftover grilled chicken, pico de gallo from taco night, an extra hot dog sliced up can all be set out as toppings for a variety of base main dishes. These meals are never dull because the offerings are different every time.

QUANTITIES

Determining how much food you will need for a spread can be tricky, whether it’s a large or small gathering. You need to take into account a few factors: the amount of people attending, the time of day of the gathering, the type of gathering (a meal, snack, or treat), and the size of your guests’ appetites (if you have a sense of how they usually eat).

I want my guests to leave feeling satisfied, not stuffed, so it’s a balance that takes some thoughtful planning. I always plan to have a little more on hand instead of risking not having enough. I would rather have leftovers than guests leaving hungry. Leftovers can be enjoyed in the days that follow or even sent home with the guests.

The more dishes you serve, the less of each one you will need. A recipe serving size is just a guide. If you serve several dishes, they will go further than the suggested serving because guests will not take as much.

When it comes to deciding on the dishes you want to serve and the amount of each one to make, consider the people you are serving. For example, if you have four adults and eight children, you will want to make sure the spread is heavy on kid-friendly food. If you are serving a group of hungry football players after the big game, you may want to double up on some of the dishes to feed those hearty appetites.

For a build your own spread that has a main dish and several toppings to choose from, plan for at least one of the main items per person. For example, for the Stuff Your Own Baked Potato spread, one baked potato per person should be good, but you may want to have a few extra on hand. For the Top Your Own Waffle spread, plan for at least two waffles per person. For the toppings, anticipate which ones will be the most popular and serve more of them. Set out smaller portions of the less popular or more unique choices that maybe just a few people will enjoy.

Here is a serving-suggestion guide for adults (for kids, plan for about half as much of each item).

MEAL SPREAD

Protein: 4–6 ounces per person (meat, fish, etc.) Sides: 1½ cups total per person (rice, potatoes, vegetables, fruits) Pasta (cooked): 1 cup as a main or ½ cup as a side Soup: 2 cups (16 ounces) as a main or 1 cup (8 ounces) as an appetizer Bread: 1–2 rolls or slices per person

APPETIZER SPREAD BEFORE A MEAL

6–8 bite-size foods per person, with a minimum of four different bite-size choices (you don’t want guests to fill up on appetizers before the main meal, so keep the appetizer choices limited)

APPETIZER SPREAD AS A MEAL

13–15 bite-size foods per person, with a minimum of six different bite-size choices

DESSERT SPREAD

2–3 bite-size foods per person

1 slice per person for a larger dessert, like a layer cake or pie DRINK SPREAD

1–2 drinks per person per hour (always have plenty of water and non-alcoholic beverages available)

PREPARING

For each spread, I have provided step-by-step spread-building suggestions to guide you on when to make the dishes, keep prepped dishes warming or chilled, and add the dishes to the spread table so that everything is its freshest and served at the desired temperature. Many of the dishes in each spread can be partially or completely prepped hours or even a day or two in advance. Other items are so easy to prep that you can make them just before adding them to the spread. I encourage you to prepare as much in advance as possible so that you are not worried about timing or rushing to get everything ready in time. Also, keep in mind that while dishes are cooking or baking, you can always be prepping and assembling other things.

TRY IT POTLUCK-STYLE

Plan a spread potluck-style so that you don’t have to do all the work yourself! All you have to do is divide up the recipes and additional ingredients among those who are attending and have them each bring a dish or some toppings/accompaniments. This is such an easy way to plan a fabulous gathering or celebration with others. Think dinner club, big family dinners, baby showers, holiday celebrations, and more.

LOCATION

A spread can be set up almost anywhere, depending on how you’re planning on serving it (see below) and where (inside or outside, a home or event space). For a buffet-style spread, the kitchen counter or island is great to line the dishes down, for everyone to file through. For a grazing spread, a dining table with no chairs around it or a kitchen island makes it easy for people to approach the spread from all sides. For a seated spread, laying out the spread down the middle of a dining table works great.

Other spots that work well for a spread, depending on the size of the spread and the occasion, are a coffee table, dining room buffet, outdoor dining table, folding table, and picnic blanket. If you’re serving a spread that requires the food to stay warm, setting it up next to the stove, where you can keep foods warming, works nicely. If using slow cookers or hot plates, make sure electrical outlets are nearby.

SERVING

Spreads can be served a few different ways, so here are some things to keep in mind when you’re planning a spread.

BUFFET-STYLE

Some spreads are best served buffet-style in the order that you would put the ingredients on your plate. For example, the Stuff Your Own Baked Potato and Top Your Own Mac ‘n’ Cheese spreads should be served so that the stars of the spread (i.e., the baked potatoes and mac ‘n’ cheese) are first, with all the topping choices following.

This makes it easy for everyone to serve themselves and keeps the crowd moving as they fill their plates.

GRAZING

A lot of the spreads, such as Charcuterie & Cheese for a Crowd and the Luau Birthday Party, are great served in a way that everyone can approach the spread from any direction and serve themselves in the order they want. I like to group the lighter appetizers and finger foods together, the heartier appetizers or main dishes together, and then the sweets and treats together. You can also lay it out so that no matter where one approaches the spread, there’s a good variety of foods to choose from.

SEATED

If you’re serving the spread down the middle of the dining table with everyone seated around it, pass the dishes around for each person to serve themselves family-style.

Good examples that utilize this type of serving are the Father’s Day Dinner and Valentine’s Day Family Dinner spreads.

WARM AND COLD FOODS

When serving a spread, I put out enough food to get everyone started and keep extras warming in a 200°F oven or chilling in the refrigerator to add to the spread as needed.

Warm foods, like soups and dips, can be kept in a slow cooker or in a pot on a hot plate. If you have a buffet-style warming tray, you can keep several of the warm foods warming in it during the gathering.

If your kitchen allows for it, you can set up the spread along the kitchen counters and utilize your stovetop and oven to keep foods warming while guests serve themselves.

If the spread is going to be quickly enjoyed rather than grazed on for hours, I recommend setting out the warm dishes on the spread last and serving the spread right away. This works great for family dinners when the spread is set up on the dining table or for a spread served on kitchen counters for everyone to serve themselves from before sitting down to enjoy.

For spreads that require foods to stay cold, such as the dessert and drink spreads in this book that feature ice cream, you will want to pack the ice cream in plenty of ice or keep it in the freezer. Again, it may depend on how long the spread is going to be enjoyed and where you are serving the spread.

When serving a spread outdoors, if the food needs to be cool, make sure you have a cooler or serving trays with ice that you can set the cold foods in or on. If you are serving foods that need to be kept warm, make sure you have warming plates or slow cookers to keep the warm foods in.

TRANSPORTING

If you are preparing a spread that you will be transporting to another location to enjoy, you will want to have serving dishes that are easy to transport. Think unbreakable containers with tight-fitting lids, such as reusable plastic containers and foil serving trays. Transport cool foods in coolers with ice and warm foods wrapped in towels to trap the heat.

If you are transporting a board or platter that doesn’t have a lip or sides around it, lay out large pieces of foil under it and then wrap the foil up and over it. If you don’t have serving dishes with lids, wrap each dish with some plastic wrap and then foil. I would even suggest wrapping containers with lids in foil just in case.

When I’m transporting a spread, I like to carry the prepared dishes in storage containers and the serving platters separately. Once I get to the location, I plate and arrange the food on the serving platters. This works well because I already have containers to store any leftovers.

LEFTOVERS

I like to handle leftovers with what I call the 5 Ss. I can almost always turn leftovers into a salad, stir-fry, soup, sandwich, or smoothie. No food goes to waste around here!

But it is always better to be safe than sorry when it comes to food safety. If the food has sat out in uncontrolled temperatures for a long period of time and/or you have any doubts about it, it’s best not to keep it.

ADAPTING

I really encourage you to find inspiration from these spreads, using this book as a guide, and then making them your own. You don’t have to make the spread exactly how I did for it to be successful. There will be occasions where you may want to adjust the serving size, only make a portion of the spread, combine items from a few different spreads, or add a favorite family dish. I hope you approach each spread with eagerness and ownership. I’ve given you the inspiration, the plan, and as many details as possible to prepare each of these spreads successfully. My goal is that you use this book as a resource to create