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Moist & Fluffy Red Velvet Cream Cheese Cookies

Are you guys ready for a Valentine’s Dessert recipe that will knock the socks off your friends and family? Well, these red velvet cream cheese cookies might just be it! These thick, cakey cookies literally melt in your mouth when you take a bite. And that pretty red color? Valentine’s Day cookie perfection!

You can top these pretty little cookies with festive sprinkles, or dust them with powdered sugar! When you take your first bite, you’ll be thanking me from afar!

A few notes to ensure baking success:

  • These cookies need to be chilled in the fridge for 1-2 hours. Don’t skip this step! It’s important that the butter is cold when it goes into the oven – that’s what makes cookies thick. 
  • The dough is going to be sticky, so be sure to dust your hands with flour before rolling the dough into balls. You can re-dust your hands as much as you need – I did it every 2-3 cookies. I also washed my hands a few times during the process. It’s totally worth it! 
  • Use gel food coloring, not liquid. The reason is that our solid to liquid ratio is already on the edge (see above!), so adding even more is going to make rolling these into balls a real challenge. Plus, I prefer gel color because you need way less. I always feel kind of sick dumping a whole container of red liquid color into batter or dough, and sometimes can taste the food coloring too. Not with gel! I use and love this kind

Ingredients: 

1 1/2 cups cake flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
3 tablespoons cocoa powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup butter, softened
4 oz full-fat cream cheese, softened
3/4 cup cane sugar
1 egg
1 1/4 teaspoons vanilla
Red food coloring gel
1/4 cup all-purpose flour, for rolling
Powdered sugar for dusting

Directions: 

Whisk together the dry ingredients, flour through salt. Set aside.

In the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together the cream cheese and butter until light and fluffy. Add the sugar and beat until combined, then beat in the egg and vanilla. Add the dry ingredients, and mix until just combined. Add food coloring until you reach your color preference. I use gel food coloring, see notes above.

Cover the dough with plastic wrap, and chill it in the fridge for 1-2 hours.

Preheat the oven to 375.

Measure the all-purpose flour into a small bowl. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Dust your hands with the flour, and roll the cookie dough into 1 inch sized balls, and place them on the lined baking sheets. Re-dust your hands as many times as needed – I dusted my hands between every 2-3 cookies.

Bake 9-11 minutes, or until the bottoms are just beginning to brown. They will be soft and may still look doughy, but if you can tap the bottom of a cookie and it easily slides, they’re done!

Dust with powdered sugar when they’ve cooled, and serve.

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White Wine and Parmesan Risotto

Risotto is one of my favorite foods on the planet. It’s a major comfort food recipe, and is a perfect side dish for pretty much anything! This white wine and parmesan risotto recipe is creamy and cheesy, with just a hint of white wine. I love this as a side dish for my Garlic Salmon, but have also been known to eat a bowl of it on its own as a main course!

This is an easy parmesan risotto recipe that’s great all year-round, and will quickly become a family favorite. Scroll to the bottom of this post for more recipes to complete your meal!

Want more risotto recipes? Also check out my Easy, Creamy Lemon Risotto Recipe!

Used In This Post: 
 

 

Healthy Lemon and Garlic Baked Salmon

Your new favorite weeknight meal: lemon and garlic baked salmon! This easy baked salmon recipe is bursting with flavor, and is so delicious, you’ll feel like you’re cheating on those New Years resolutions. But you’re not! And the best part? It comes together in about 45 minutes, making this our go-to healthy weeknight meal.

easy baked salmon recipe
 

This recipe has been used by my family for over two decades. Which makes me feel super old, but that’s ok! My parents got it from a family friend, and it’s one of those recipes that is crazy good probably because it’s crazy simple. The flavors are bright and fresh, and I love all the superfood ingredients like olive oil, garlic and all those omega-3s in salmon!

The garlic caramelizes as it cooks, and the sweet garlic flavor pairs so perfectly with the bright lemon. Add in the light taste of salmon and herby, slightly lemony parsley, and you’ve got yourself one of the most delicious flavor combos ever!

 

Tips For Lemon and Garlic Baked Salmon:

  • Don’t skip the fresh parsley! It wilts and holds the sauce on top of the salmon. This helps the salmon stay moist, and is so delicious!
  • Allow your salmon to come to room temperature before cooking. About 15-20 minutes on your counter will do the trick!

 

 

lemon and garlic baked salmon

In the summer we cook this on the grill. When I think back on some of my best summer memories, it was eating this lemon and garlic salmon on the deck!  And when it’s super cold out like it is now, we bake it in the oven. It’s delicious either way, and I’ve included directions for both below! I love to dress up this salmon by serving it with my White Wine and Parmesan Risotto. or if I’m going for a simple meal I serve it with a my Kale Caesar Salad.
 
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Healthy Lemon and Garlic Baked Salmon

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  • Author: Kirsten Bell
  • Prep Time: 15 Minutes
  • Cook Time: 30 Minutes
  • Total Time: 45 minutes
  • Yield: 8 Servings 1x
  • Category: Dinner
  • Method: Baking

Description

Easy, delicious and flavorful lemon and garlic baked salmon!


Ingredients

Scale

1 (2 lb) wild caught piece of salmon*
1/2 cup olive oil
6 garlic cloves, crushed
1/2 cup lemon juice
Zest of 1 lemon
1 cup chopped parsley
2 teaspoons lemon pepper


Instructions

Sauce Directions:

In a small saucepan, heat garlic in olive oil until golden. Add lemon juice to the garlic. Simmer over medium-low heat until it thickens a bit, about 5 minutes. Add parsley and stir. Sprinkle lemon pepper  over the flesh side of the salmon.

Oven Directions:

Lay the salmon flesh side up on a foil lined baking sheet. Broil 3-5 minutes, or until the salmon just begins to brown. Pull the foil up around the salmon, and then pour the garlic sauce over the salmon. Lightly close the foil to create a tent over the fish. Bake at 400 degrees for about 30-40 minutes, or until the fish is cooked to your satisfaction. (Salmon can technically be eaten raw, and just like beef everyone has different ideas of what “done” looks like. For us, if the salmon easily flakes with a fork, we call it done!)

Grill Directions: 

Grill salmon until golden. Flip fish skin side down in casserole or foil. Pour garlic sauce over, making sure the foil holds all the oil, and finish cooking to your satisfaction.


Notes

We also use frozen salmon from Costco, which is way more cost-effective since we don’t live near a coast! Just thaw the salmon you want to use, and then follow directions as usual.

lemon and garlic baked salmon

Recipes To Complete Your Meal: 

Super Good, Superfood Smoothie

I know you’re used to seeing more baked goods from me, but I can’t live off of cupcakes – right? So today I’m sharing my easy superfood smoothie recipe with you! It’s one that Jordan and I both enjoy drinking for breakfast, and sometimes even lunch because it’s packed with protein, fiber and tons of vitamins! I also love that it’s a paleo, gluten free and vegan smoothie so it’s one that most people can have.

Used In This Post: 

Some of the key superfood ingredients in this smoothie are spinach, avocado and berries. Spinach is so good for us – probably everyone could benefit from eating more of it! It’s good for skin, hair and bone health and is loaded with protein, iron, vitamins and minerals. Avocado is another really powerful superfood. We all probably know that avocado is full of healthy fats. But it’s also a great source of fiber, folate, potassium, vitamin E and magnesium. Next up: blueberries! I love using frozen blueberries in this smoothie recipe because they’re a pretty inexpensive berry when you buy them frozen (thank you Costco!). They are also stocked with antioxidant and anti-inflammatory, properties and are high in Vitamin C and potassium.

For even more nutritional value, we love adding flax seeds and chia seeds to our smoothies. One thing that I LOVE about our Vitamix blender is that it’s powerful enough to turn the seeds to powder. So you’d literally never know they were in there! 

Whip up one of these smoothies this week for breakfast or a post-workout nutrient boost!

Ingredients: 

1 cup almond milk (I love the organic Silk almond milk)
1 packed cup fresh spinach
1 cup frozen blueberries (or berry mix)
1/2 cup avocado (I like the frozen avocado at Costco)
1 tablespoon almond butter (We use Justins!)
1 teaspoon flax seeds
1 teaspoon chia seeds

Directions: 

Load all the ingredients into your Vitamix machine or other blender, and blend until smooth. Top with some fresh berries if you like, and enjoy!

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Healthier Cinnamon Rolls

Good morning and happy Friday! Even though it was a short work week, I am sure ready for the weekend! Funny how the holidays make real life so much more of a struggle, right? Well if you’re not quite ready for all good things to come to an end, today I’m sharing my recipe for healthier cinnamon rolls with you! Buttery, flakey, full of cinnamon goodness – but made with wayyyyy less sugar. Perfect for a delicious breakfast or brunch this weekend!

 

This Celebrated Life