Who doesn’t love the fact that spring’s getting closer and closer? Not that you don’t enjoy warm winter soups, homemade cookies, or hot coffees by the fireplace and snugging in your cozy blankets, but spring amazingly makes flowers and trees bloom, brings the nicest weather ever, and of course, some delicious traditional spring dishes that you can enjoy by yourself or with your loved ones.

Refreshing meals like salads, seafood, and vegetable dishes are always the most cherished plates during spring. You can’t even begin to imagine a picnic or barbecue session without the seasonal fruit desserts of spring.

To give exciting twists to the classic spring dishes, discover new flavors in your existing recipes with smoked spices, such as salt or oregano spices, and start off the season with a kick! Here’s a list of ideas to spice up your spring dishes:

1. Put Your Vegetables On The Grill

After the winter season, when all your desires revolve around being indoors and as near the heat as possible, the best way to welcome the spring is with an outdoor activity. Nothing says spring like a backyard barbecue with your family, friends, or that special someone. Instead of sticking to the typical meat meals like burgers, organize a unique evening with your loved ones and try grilling seasonal vegetables like asparagus, eggplant, or potatoes. But that’s not all—while grilling your veggies, add your favorite smoked spices to really bring out the flavor. You’ll be surprised how tasty it can be!

2. Taste Some Abroad Refreshing Drinks

Spring is a perfect reminder that life’s constantly renewing itself and that your imagination and curiosity are the perfect roots to grow your interests from. To truly celebrate the arrival of the blooming season, a lemonade can’t be missing from your spring list. Not just any lemonade though—prepare Sima! This Finnish spring mead is a lemonade with a twist; it’s lightly fermented. You can enjoy this beverage with floating raisins and some smoked rosemary to add a unique touch!

Nevertheless, be warned: the longer Sima ferments, the more it’s possible to go from slightly bubbly to a bit intoxicating. So, just be careful and you’re well on your way to celebrate the arrival of spring the Finnish way! 

3. Spinach Will Be Your Best Friend 

How many times have you ignored your mother’s wish to eat her broccoli or spinach meals? Quite a few times for sure. Prepare yourself as things are about to change!

For the ideal brunch or for an easy supper when you arrive late from work, delight yourself in spinach and ricotta pie with spring vegetables. It’s very easy to make! It’s also great for picnics because of its lightness, plus it’s easy to carry around. Blow your friend’s mind by adding smoked cumin to the preparation! It’ll mix perfectly with the spinach’s flavor. 

4. The Perfect Spring Cookie Isn’t A Chocolate Cookie

Are you shocked? It’s not that they aren’t delicious (because they are) or out of fashion. But haven’t you been eating chocolate cookies since forever? This spring is the perfect time to explore new traditions and nourish your palate with delicious flavors that you never thought you’d fall in love with before.

Substitute the all-time loved chocolate cookies with lemon bars instead, and to make it extra flavorful, add smoked cinnamon on top. Now you’re ready to enjoy your new favorite afternoon tea snack! Moreover, it works as a beautiful gift for your loved ones; slice the bar into squares, rectangles, or triangles, choose a decorated box to pack them in, and surprise them with a thoughtfully wrapped, exquisite lemon bar!

5. Reinvent Your Spring Rolls

There’s never a more inspiring time than the spring season. This can apply to many aspects in life: starting a new business, changing your furniture completely from the ground up, and your soon-to-be favorite spring activity—creating new recipes and mixing flavors you know you love.

Here’s a suggestion: try making traditional, fresh spring rolls made with steamed buns. Simply combine your chosen ingredients from two traditional food items or recipes to create your own recipe. There are no rules, it’s all up to you! However, to really innovate this creation, we suggest adding smoked crushed red pepper to your list of ingredients to spice things up!

Conclusion

Now that the days are longer, the sky is brighter than ever, and the shining sun transforms the outside of your home into a gorgeous picnic spot, there’s no reason to lock yourself at home and limit your options to old recipes when you want to grab a bite. The lighter and easier it is to make your meal, the more you’d be enjoying the beginning of the spring. More importantly, modifying traditional dishes with your favorite smoked spices will enhance their flavor, and perhaps even the way you live your life.

As the warm weather is around the corner, it’s time to start thinking about outdoor dining — and let’s face it; barbecues are the only way to go when it’s time for dining al fresco.  Before you start sending out invites, however, it’s important that you plan first.  As much as you might think that throwing a barbecue is as easy as putting some chicken breasts on the grill and calling it a day, it’s not the case.

In order to make sure that it’s a truly successful event (and a delicious one), it’s important that you know the right tips. Take a look and some of the best pointers for planning the perfect barbecue. 

Get High-Quality Meat 

You can forget about mediocre cuts on sale at the grocery store. Whether you hunt it yourself or know a great online butcher, you should seek out fresh, high-quality meat. Quality meat makes a world of difference in the flavor that you get out of your meal. If you’re on a budget, then consider cutting your costs on your sides and beverages, but definitely not on your meat. 

Plan The Right Amount of Food 

One of the biggest mistakes that people make when planning a barbecue is miscalculating how much food they need. Having too much or too little food can be equally disastrous. It’s in your best interest to make sure that you calculate the amount of food you need per person before you start throwing meat on the grill. Making a precise list of exactly what you need can help avoid waste.

Don’t Forget Cold Drinks 

Nobody has time for a warm beer on a hot day in a backyard!  It’s critical that you have cold drinks ready to go. Although it’s not necessary, it’s certainly more convenient to have your cold drinks outside—where they’re easily accessible. Whether you have an outdoor mini-fridge or an ice cooler filled to the brim with beverages, the idea is to have cold ones on deck at all times. 

Music is a Must 

What kind of a barbecue would it be without music? It’s essential that you set up a bluetooth speaker so that you can play tunes outside for everyone to listen to while they mingle.  If you’re really on the cutting edge of technology, you’ll have an Alexa or something of the sort so people can contribute to the DJ list. Please don’t be that guy— the host that won’t let anyone touch the music. 

Plan For Trash 

Since there’s going to be multiple people eating at your event, there’s inevitably going to be waste. Make sure that you have a place to put it all by setting up several trash bags spread throughout the yard. In addition to trash bags, you should also assign a place for recycling. This is the best way to ensure that you have the least amount of cleaning to do when it’s time to send everyone home.

Cooking with alcohol may seem like such a pro move, that many folks easily get intimidated at the prospect of using this ingredient. While it certainly is a showcase of skills upgrade, however, it doesn’t have to be so overwhelming as to have to avoid it at all cost.

Using alcohol in cooking offers a variety of benefits. Used in a marinade, for example, the alcohol helps in seasoning the meat, as well as carries more flavor to make the meat more tasty. It also makes for a very good addition to sauces, elevating the flavor profile of the dish.

You can even use it in desserts. Want a little buzz in your sweets? Pop open that liquor bar and pour a shot or two to add a bit more excitement to it.

Do take note, though, that using alcohol in your recipes is not necessarily about getting the party started. There are, in fact, health benefits to adding them in. So go ahead, use your liquor collection to elevate your dining experience. And check out these tips below to make sure you’re doing it right.

Pick the Right Bottle

The simplest tip you can get to using alcohol in cooking is to use one that you will actually drink. If you like its flavor enough on its own, then all the better for you. Don’t be too quick to grab from the top shelf, though. That’s probably better off being served to drink at the table.

Let it Marinate

Don’t rush the process. Meat or fruit will need a while to soak in the flavors of the wine. When it finally does, you’ll be pleasantly surprised to find that it’s added an extra layer of complexity in flavor to the dish.

Another good tip you could use is to soak up overripe fruit in wine; this diffuses the sugariness of the fruit, making it usable as an ingredient once more.

Cook, Don’t Burn

It’s the universal rule in cooking, yes. But more specifically, in the context of cooking with alcohol, realize that the longer you cook, the more alcohol content is actually cooked off. Take note that it’s not a simple matter of pouring it in the pan and then leaving it to evaporate on its own.

Cooking for 30 minutes evaporates alcohol by as much as 10%. What you want to achieve when cooking with it, however, is to incorporate the flavor of the alcohol, not remove it completely. So keep a close eye on it while cooking, which you should as with any other dish you’re making.

If you want to give your catering business the edge it needs to compete with other providers in your area, you should provide perks that other catering companies don’t. Whether it’s an upgrade on service or a completely novel freebie that no one else is giving out, anything that makes your business unique will draw more clients in and give you a leg up over the competition.

Start with these 5 small tweaks that will give your catering business the advantage it needs to wow clients and draw more business your way.

Professional website

The first impression always matters, and in most cases, your website provides the first impression that future clients have of you. This is the reason why it is almost important to have a professional and sleek website that showcases everything that is good about your business. Use professional photos, real testimonials from past clients, and ensure that your website is easy to navigate. Make your website a good source for catering tips and advice too. Useful content will always be king, so don’t forget to update your site with practical tips for choosing the right menus, caterers, and even free recipes that potential clients will find useful. Finally, make sure that you are easy to reach from your website. A contact form and readily-visible contact information on your home page can make it easier for potential clients to book you. Even if site visitors don’t end up booking on their first visit, they’ll definitely be bookmarking your website for future use.

Professional uniforms

How you and your staff look on the day of the event speaks volumes about the kind of service and food you provide. Uniforms worn by well-trained staff give out the ultimate professional vibe and ensure that you are living up to the image that your client is paying for. Uniforms also make the catering team visually appealing to the eye and make members of your staff easy to identify. This allows your team to be readily recognisable and available to guests when they are needed.

Varied and Flexible menus

Catering services that offer menus tailored specifically to the desires of the client often come out on top. This is because flexibility and variety are important features, especially for clients who want their dishes to reflect their personal style, heritage, backgrounds, traditions, tastes and preferences. Listen to the customer and always make sure that you are covering all bases in terms of food preferences, dietary restrictions for the guests, presentation preferences, and other important details to make their experience just that much better. Flexibility can also go a long way towards expanding your customer base. For example, if you offer vegetarian, pescatarian, or kosher menus; this will put you on the map as the go-to provider for any client irrespective of their preferences or background. It ensures the client feels valued, respected and that you’re adaptable and willing to work to their vision.

Freebies

Historically, freebies have always been an effective solution in obtaining new business from clients. Whether this is extra plates, free take-home bags, anything free can be an attractive benefit that will have clients choosing your service over the competitor. Just make sure that you provide the same quality of service for your freebies as you would do for the rest of your service.

A departing gift

Thank you notes and gifts add a personal touch to any event and help cement your relationship with clients. Building relationships is crucial for creating your list of return clients. The simple note thanking your client for choosing your service can help you build that loyal base. If your clients know that they have a personal connection with you, they are likely to follow through with their booking and keep your business card for any future work. For example, thank you notes or baskets could come with a packet of sweets or a personalised bottle of wine to the client’s taste. Whatever you choose to bless the client with, the gesture itself will always help you stand out from the competition and make the client feel truly valued.

These are just 5 small tweaks that you can do with your catering function to make it more professional and memorable. Aside from offering quality and mouth-watering food, the details in presentation matter most, and in some cases, they can mean the difference between a one-time client and a client who will return time and time again, and perhaps share the word about your business for years to come. In a sea of catering providers in Brisbane, being professional while putting a strong emphasis on personalisation can go a long way towards creating a service that your clients will appreciate.