The Blossoming Spoon

05/23/2026

Spiced Strawberry Cherry Crumble Pie Bars with a Sweet Cinnamon Drizzle ❤️

Crust:
3 Cups All purpose Flour
3 Cups Oats
1 Cup Brown Sugar
1/2 Cup White Sugar
2 tsp Baking Powder
Cinnamon, Ginger, Clove (measure with your heart)
3 sticks of melted salted butter

Jam
24oz Strawberries
1/2 - 1 Cup Tart Cherries
1 Lemon (Juice & Zest)
1 Cup Sugar
2 Cinnamon Sticks
Ground Cinnamon, Ginger, and Clove.
Pinch of salt
2 tsp corn starch

Cinnamon Drizzle
1 TBSP Cinnamon
1 Cup Powder Sugar
2 TBSP Corn Syrup
1-2 TBSP Heavy Cream

Directions:
Jam:
Place your Strawberries, Cherries, Sugar, Spices, Salt, Cinnamon Sticks, Lemon Zest and Juice in a heavy bottomed pot. Cook on medium-high until thick. Make sure to skim the top to remove the foam. When your jam is done, mix in the 2 tsp of corn starch. You will need about 3 cups of Jam.

Crust:
1. Melt your 3 sticks of butter in a pot. In a mixer add your Flour, Oats, Sugars, Spices and Baking powder. Once the dry ingredients are combined, pour in the melted butter. Set aside.
2. Preheat your oven fo 350 degrees. Line a 13x9 Baking dish with parchment paper. Pour 70% of your crust mixture into the baking dish. Press the crust down with the bottom of a measuring cup until completely flat.
3. Pour your jam mixture on top of the crust and spread it out. Then crumble the rest of the crust mixture on top of the jam.
4. Place in the oven for 40mins or so. Remove the dish from the oven and allow to cool. Cut into bads when the bars are cool.

Cinnamon Drizzle:
Combine everything and drizzle over the top of your cut bars.

05/21/2026

We believe birthdays are special and love creating treats for the special person. This week we are celebrating someone that loves oreos, so treats of the week are....

Oreo rice crispy treats and Slutty Brownies. The brownies have three layers. A chocolate chip cookie bottom, middle layer is oreos, and a brownie top.

05/19/2026

Herb Harvest Day while we wait for our beautiful cherries to rippen. ❤️

Oregano
Tarragon
Dill
Mint

Also harvested some amazing garlic scapes. Scapes are fantastic in a pesto, stir fry, and compound butter. ❤️

05/11/2026

Dark Chocolate Bourbon Bacon Almond Toffee Bark

Candied Bacon
Ingredients:

1lb Bacon
2TBSP Bourbon
1/2 cup Brown Sugar
1/2 tsp Crushed Red Pepper

Toffee
Ingredients:

2 Cups Sugar
1/2 Cup Water
1/2 Cup Butter
1/3 Cup Light Corn Syrup
1 TBSP Bourbon
2 tsp Vanilla Extract ( I used our Homemade Bourbon Vanilla)
1/2 tsp Baking Soda
8-10 oz Almonds (Toasted and Chopped)
1-2 Cups Chocolate Chips (Dark, semi sweet or a mix)
Sea Salt for topping

Equipment:
Skillets
Cutting Board
Knife
Rubber Spatula
Heavy Bottomed Pot
Baking Sheet
Candy Thermometer
Measuring Cups and Spoons

Directions:
1. Place your whole almonds in a dry skillet on low heat. Stir often until fragrant and toasted. Remove from heat and place on a cutting board. Chop the almonds to your desired size. ( I left some pieces larger than others) Place the chopped almonds in a bowl and set aside.
2. Chop your bacon on a cutting board. This doesn't have to be a fine dice and it doesn't have to be pretty. Place the chopped bacon in a pan and cook on medium-high until crispy. Stir when needed and don't let the bacon burn. When the bacon is done cooking, remove the bacon, and allow it to drain on a paper towel. Pour the bacon grease into a mason jar and save for later use. Wipe out the remaining oil with a paper towel.
3. Using the skillet you cooked your bacon in, add your 1/2 cup of brown sugar, 2 TBSP of Bourbon, and the 1/2 tsp crushed red pepper (Want more spice, add more) to the pan, stir and warm on a low heat. When the mixture starts to bubble and the sugar is melted, add your cooked bacon back into the pan. Stir and coat the bacon in the sugar mixture. Continue cooking on low until the sugar begins to crystalize and clump together with the bacon pieces. It will look like a bacon crumble. At this point, remove the mixture from the heat and let it cool. (If the bacon is too large for your taste, please feel free to chop it more.) Place in a bowl and set aside.
4. Now prepare your baking sheet. Place a piece of parchment on the pan, spray with cooking spray, and set aside.
5.Using a heavy bottomed pot, place your 2 cups of sugar, 1/2 cup of water, 1/2 cup of butter, and 1/3 cup of corn syrup into the pot and bring to a boil. Cook over Medium-High heat and stir occasionally. The mixture will begin to thicken and start to turn a light caramel color around 200 degrees. Continue stirring until the mixture reaches the hard crack stage on the candy thermometer (300 degrees). Things are about to move quickly.
6. When the mixture reaches 300 degrees, turn off the heat and remove the pan from the burner. Add in 1 TBSP of bourbon and 2 tsp of Vanilla and stir. Then add your 1/2 tsp of baking soda and stir. While the mixture is still hot add in most of the candied bacon and chopped almonds ( save some for the topping) and stir. Pour the mixture onto your prepared baking sheet. Spread the toffee as much as you can. Move quickly!
7.When the toffee can't be spread out anymore, dump your chocolate chips on top of the toffee. The heat from the toffee will melt the chocolate. Once most of the chocolate chips are melted, use your spatula to spread out the chocolate to cover the toffee. Sprinkle on the remaining bacon and chopped almonds on top of the chocolate. Then sprinkle your sea salt all over the top. Using the other side of your spatula lightly press the topping into the chocolate. Allow the bark to completely cool before cutting into pieces. This will take several hours. Enjoy!

05/05/2026

Yesterday we celebrated my husband's birthday and he requested an apple crisp for his dessert. I hope you enjoy it as much as we did!

Old Fashioned Apple Crisp:

For the Crisp Topping:
1 Cup All Purpose Flour
1 1/2 Cup Old Fashioned Rolled Oats
3/4 Cup Packed Brown Sugar
1 TBSP Cinnamon
1 Tsp Nutmeg
Pinch of Salt
1 1/2 Sticks of Butter (Cold and cubed)

For the Apple Filling:
8-10 Apples (Peeled, Cored and Sliced)
1 Cup Packed Brown Sugar
3 TBSP of melted butter
1/4 Cup All Purpose Flour
1 Lemon ( Zest and Juice)
1 TBSP Cinnamon
1 Tsp Nutmeg
Pinch of Salt

Equipment:
Large bowl
Vegetable peeler
Knife
Cutting Board
Measuring cups and spoons
Microplane
13x9 Baking dish
Timer

Direction:

1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Melt about 1 TBSP of additional butter , use this to grease your pan or use cooking spray. Once your pan is greased, set it aside.

2. Gather your apples. Peel, core and slice them. Throw them into a bowl. ( If you are worried about your apples turning brown while you cut everything, fill the bowl with water). Once the apples are all cut ( If you placed water in the bowl, drain it now). Add your brown sugar, melted butter, flour, lemon zest and juice, cinnamon and nutmeg to the bowl of apples. Mix until the apples are fully coated. After you have mixed your apples, dump the apples into your prepared 13 x 9 pan. Spread the apples out in an even layer.

3.Using the same bowl, prepare your topping. Add your flour, oats, brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt. Mix well. Then add your cold cubed butter. Coat the butter in the mixture, then pinch the butter cubes between your fingers to break them up. Do this until your topping is crumbly and the butter is incorporated. Once your topping is ready, dump the mixture on top of your apples and spread the topping out to cover the apples fully.

4. Bake for 40-55 mins. ( Fully depends on your oven). When the crisp is golden brown and bubbly around the edges, remove from the oven and allow to cool.

* Serve with ice cream, whipped cream or drizzled with our Bourbon Salted Caramel Sauce.

05/04/2026

Bourbon Salted Caramel Sauce

Ingredients:
2 cups White Sugar
1/2 cup of Water
1 cup of Heavy Cream ( Room Temperature)
1 stick of Butter ( Room Temperature)
3 tsp Vanilla
3-4 TBSP Bourbon
Pinch of Sea Salt

Equipment:
Stainless Steel Pot
Measuring cup
Measuring spoons
Whisk
Tiny bowl to hold the flavorings
Cup of water and a basting brush
Jar

Directions:
1. Add your sugar and water to your pot. Combine and place the pot on the stove at Medium-High heat. (Don't whisk or stir after combining) In the meantime, measure out your vanilla & bourbon into a small bowl and set aside.
2. Watch and wait until your sugar mixture turns a dark copper color. If there is sugar collecting on the sides of the pot, use a basking brush that was dipped in water to help dissolve the sugar on the side of the pot. ( Don't stir the mixture)
3. When your sugar mixture reaches your desired color, turn off the heat. Slowly pour the room temperature heavy cream in while whisking ( Warning the mixture will bubble and release a lot of hot steam. Watch your fingers).
4. After the cream has been incorporated, add the stick of butter and pour in the vanilla & bourbon. Continue whisking. Add your salt. When the butter has fully been incorporated, pour the caramel into a glass jar slowly. Allow to cool.

05/01/2026

04/27/2026

When you're 5 ft with small hands, everything looks large when you hold it but the size of this strawberry is impressive. 🥰

04/25/2026

Yesterday we took the time to make Homemade Ricotta. I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as i enjoyed making it & eating it. 🥰

Ricotta:

Ingredients:
-1 Gallon of whole milk
-1 Pint of heavy cream
-1/2 cup distilled white vinegar
-1TBSP of Salt

Supplies:
-Large pot with a lid that is not reactive (I used our Dutch oven )
-Measuring cup
-Measuring spoon
-Whisk
-Thermometer
-Cheese cloth
-Sieve
-Large bowl
-Slotted spoon

Directions:

1. Add the milk and heavy cream to a pot and begin to warm it over Medium- High heat. ( whisk occasionally while the milk warms)

2. Add 1/2 cup of distilled vinegar to a measuring cup and add 1 TBSP of salt to the vinegar. Set aside.

3. When the milk has warmed to 120 degrees, pour the vinegar & salt into the pot. Continue to stir the milk with your whisk.

4. At around 170-180 degrees the curds will begin to separate from the whey. At this point stop stirring. Allow the curds to fully separate from the whey undisturbed.

5. At 190-200 degrees remove the pot from the heat. Place the pot lid on the pot and allow it to sit for 10-15 mins.

6. In the mean time, place cheese cloth in a sieve and place the sieve over a large bowl.

7. After the 10-15 min wait using a slotted spoon, gently spoon the curds in the cheese cloth.

8. Allow the curds to drain to your desired texture. The longer you allow the curds to drain, the less wet and creamy the curds will be. I allowed ours to sit for about 45 mins.

9. Once cooled,. place in your desired container, and place in the refrigerator.

* Save the whey in a pitcher or glass jar. Once cooled place in the refrigerator or freezer for future recipes.

Our breakfast:
Butter toasted Multigrain bread speared with homemade ricotta topped with garden fresh strawberries drizzled with honey and dusted with cracked black pepper.