Some fantastic ideas and delicious food! The photography is stunning and captures the food in a light that makes your mouth water! I definitely look forward to trying some of these, and with the range in this book there is something for every occasion.

Boards are still king of the entertaining ladder these days, and this beautiful book will spark tons of ideas for every event you could possibly want to host. Nice!

What a lovely cookbook! The material is well written and presented in an easy to follow manner. I look forward to trying out several of these recipes.

Spectacular Spreads by Maegan Brown is a literal feast for your eyes. Mouthwatering spreads and recipes for all occasions. This book is a must have for anyone who loves to entertain and would also make a great gift. #NetGalley

Can we all say Yum! This cookbook looks absolutely delicious and when you start looking for inspiration you will find it abounding. Maegan Brown has crafted an attainable and scrumptious book with "Spectacular Spreads". I picked this book up with the idea that it would tell me how to make some yummy boards and I was wrong, Brown goes beyond the confines of the characuterie board to the whole table with this book! The spreads featured in this book provide fully complete meal ideas to feed small and large crowds alike. I for one will definitely be trying the appetizers only dinner party idea! Happy cooking!

Excellent spread of directions, tips and tricks. Along with some yummy recipes.

I love how it is laid out and like a checklist.

Everything looked delish!

This book is a great resource for people interested in creating their own charcuterie boards. If you want to do more entertaining, check out these party recipes!

This book is a really great resource for parties or gatherings. There are soooooo many spreads to choose from and they look delicious!

preads have become the modern way to entertain, and Spectacular Spreads: 50 Amazing Food Spreads for Any Occasion is yet another of hundreds of new cookbooks on the market today. The author, Maegan Brown has a good imagination, so this book includes more good ideas than some of those other cookbooks.

This excellent book covers spreads for cocktail parties, breakfasts and brunches, special occasion spreads, and desserts spreads. Brown presents spreads that most of us will want to serve or participate in. There are organized lists of what goes into each spread, and easy-to-follow recipes for the main parts. The book also includes beautiful photographs of the spreads and most of the recipes, which is an essential element of a good cookbook. One of the drawbacks of a spread is keeping the foods warm and cold; Brown has ideas on this that make sense. Many of the themes presented have been popular for years, but Brown has organized them and made them beautiful.
Anyone who wants to set up beautiful spreads can learn how with the chapters on the whole planning process including shopping, quantities, best locations, preparing, and serving your spread. Essentially, these spreads are mini buffets that can be put in dozens of places in your home and presented at many occasions. There are plenty of hints for beautiful presentations, and food ideas that will appeal to almost everyone. This is definitely a fun book and makes a good addition to a comprehensive cookbook collection.

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

This was okay. I was expecting something more in depth than this. It was mainly information available on a variety of blogs and websites.;

An invaluable book for entertaining, with so many ideas for a variety of gatherings. These spreads are relatively easy to put together, using fresh and already prepared foods. Let the party begin!

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I am a little behind on my cookbook reviewing. What can I say...not enough hours in the day! 🤷🏻‍♀️ Okay, onto the review...I am always looking for new and interesting ideas for get-togethers or just relaxing family meals. And they packed this book FULL of brilliant and drool worthy ideas. The "top your own toast" was a HUGE hit with adults and kids alike. As was the Appetizers Only Dinner Party! The layout is so well done. It's full of gorgeous photos and easy to follow recipes and ideas. This is honestly one of the best cookbooks I have reviewed in a long time! I can't wait to dig into the Christmas and New Year sections!

**ARC Via NetGalley**

This book delivers on the promise of its title – spectacularly. I love books and blogs that inspire ideas for entertaining at home – and especially ones that demystify plating and staging and make beautiful buffet tables accessible for the average home cook. Subtitled “50 Amazing Food Spreads for Any Occasion,” I’d say Spectacular Spreads offers up gorgeous options for every occasion – from an Omelet Bar to Luau, Tea Party to Tailgate, and of course major holidays like Valentine’s Day, Halloween, and Thanksgiving. Known as the BakerMama in the blogosphere, Maegan Brown is not only artistically talented, but also excels at providing clear instructions for recreating her lovely, themed board, bar, and spread looks for your own event. Spectacular Spreads takes the guesswork out of styling, leaving typically harried hosts and hostesses with more time to focus on connecting with friends and family and making memories.

I received a digital pre-publication copy of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review – and loved it so much that I also purchased a physical copy for my own collection.

Good book with some great ideas for gatherings and parties. Easy to understand and good photography used throughout.

Sumptuous photography and feast for the eyes. Full of practical advice and I loved the planning section and how it broke it all down into manageable steps. Great for entertaining whether in large groups or small and some show-stopping seasonal spreads. Really easy to follow ideas with very impressive results. The only downside when reading this book was that I was constantly hungry!

I loved the presentation of the book and every page was more tempting than the next.
However, unless you are actually inviting a lot of people around regularly and preparing these big spreads, you won't find much use in the final product.
Most "spectacular spreads" are in the end a base (be it tacos, burritos, mac and cheese or a chocolate fondue) with lots of toppings and options.
For example, it is unlikely to be of use in a smaller family setting as you would only serve the typical toppings you know everyone likes rather than the spectacular looking eight or ten options available. That is, until you really do have a larger get together.

I did however like using the recipes for dips and sides individually as well as keeping some of the seasonal presentations bookmarked as they really do make the food look extra special

I love putting foods together for parties and this is an absolutely perfect book for that. It takes care of any meal you could think of whether it be brunch, a baby shower, or even Christmas. There is definitely something for every occasion. I like to try out recipes and such when I have the chance and had fun putting together the fill your own Chili bowl. It was a huge hit and I look forward to not only doing it again but putting my own spin on it next time. I loved the ideas for Christmas and have already started planning my own holiday spread. If you like to put a fun spin on a meal or even an event this is truly the book to have. I can't wait to take on more spreads and adding my own spin to those I choose to do.

Well laid out with beautiful photography, Spectacular Spreads is full of great ideas for informal, friendly, sharing platters. Covering all occasions, from brunch to Valentines and everything in between, not just food there are recipes for smoothies, milkshakes and my favourite - Margaritas.

I was given a copy of Spectacular Spreads by NetGalley and the publishers in return for an unbiased review.

When I was first offered a review copy of Spectacular Spreads, I turned it down, as it was not the type of recipe book that I would normally use. Then my mother and my daughter both announced their intention to visit and I realized that this book might just be the thing to save my sanity.

Spectacular Spreads offers a great collection of what Maegan Brown calls "spreads": a table full of food for a crowd to pick and choose from. Brown started her blog, The Bakermama, in 2012 and this is her second book, which follows on from Beautiful Boards. I have not read her first book but Spectacular Spreads stands alone, offering fifty well-laid tables for extravagant entertaining ranging from dinner for four to an evening event for a few dozen people.

I had no intention of hosting a grand meal, however the selection of Lunch and Dinner Spreads held a number of options suitable for a smaller meal. Each spread consists of clear and extremely practical sections: the supplies needed, the recipes which can mostly be made in advance, the additional spread items, a step-by-step guide for assembling the spread and a selection of tips and tricks, including how to use up the left-overs. Spectacular Spreads isn't about saving time: It is more effort to prepare a spread than it would be for a normal family meal. However, a table full of options allowed me to elegantly side-step everyone's likes and dislikes as each person could pick and choose the combination perfect for them. The spreads are also inspirational; at first, I could not see the point in a spread for Grilled Burgers and Hotdogs, for example, but the long list of toppings and condiments along with the tips for putting it all together made this an amazing table full of great choices for everyone. Similarly, the Stuff Your Own Baked Potato had a number of items, allowing me to make a hit for all the family without having to think about how to ensure a balanced meal. The toppings can be store-bought or made in advance from recipes at the back of the book and the photographs offer further inspiration as to how to make a relatively simple dinner look like a gourmet restaurant. It may seem odd to have a Charcuterie and Cheese board which seems like anyone could make, but she comes up with an expansive version which allows each guest to make their own mini-board, a truly impressive meal for a big crowd with a wide variety of options along with tips for how to choose complementary flavors and textures. Brown also recommends getting everyone involved in preparing the recipes and laying the table, which my family enjoyed. This was especially helped by the "build your spread" instructions with photographs on how to get everything onto the table.

I suspect it will be a while before we are hosting parties safely, I'm looking forward to returning to the book when we do. The Special Occasion Spreads include tips for party themes and decorations that won't break the bank. Many offer not just food but a plan for the evening, for example Holiday Cookie Decorating and the Cookies and Cocktail evening. Brown gives practical instructions for pre-preparing as much as possible and then steps us through putting everything together when the guests arrive, eliminating my traditional need for a spreadsheet to ensure everything gets done. There's surprisingly little overlap for the different spreads and Brown encourages the reader to mix and match to their own tastes. I liked the encouragement to offer a variety for all tastes although peas kept turning up in unexpected places including the Make Your Own Pasta spread, Stuff Your Own Baked Potato spread and even as a key ingredient in the recipe for a Turkey Cheese Ball.

In addition, each spread starts with a list of special items (food warmers, wooden boards, soup pot) so you aren't ambushed by unexpected requirements halfway through the planning. The store-bought items should all be readily available in the US although readers abroad may find themselves bemused by some of the ingredients, such as a can of cinnamon roll or red, white and blue Rice Krispies. There are some interesting assumptions baked into the dishes, if you'll excuse the pun: football themed meals are heavy on chili and meat while showers and a meal for the gals are very pink and feature a lot of granola and yogurt. However, if the cute gets too much, you can always self-medicate with the Mix Your Own Margarita spread.

I was very impressed with thus book.. I am nit realky all that great with entertainment planning. Especially planning the food so Making spreads was a really good guide to those unfamiliar with the whole start 5o finish process and made ut seem way kess daunting and I began to feel hey I can tackle this without it becoming overwhelmed. I truly enjoyed the book it was a great start and I can't wait too show off what I learned.