Tortellini Salad

I've made it a goal to cook more  for the next couple of weeks. I even made a menu and bought all the ingredients I'll need!

I'm also trying to lose weight and eat healthier, so tonight for dinner I made something really healthy, easy to make, and yummy.

(Sorry that the picture quality isn't too great. I don't best camera for these types of pictures.)

Tortellini Salad

1 package cheese-filled tortellini

1 bag Caesar salad mix

1/4 cup bacon bits

1 medium tomato, chopped

1/4 tsp pepper
1 small can olives
Salad dressing (either Caesar or Italian is best)

Cook and drain tortellini, as directed on package. Rinse with cold water. Toss tortellini, salad mix, tomato, bacon bits, olives and pepper. Serve immediately.
Serves 6.

Notes:
I didn't use olives because we didn't have any on hand and my husband doesn't particularly like olives. I like olives a lot, so if we had some at home, I would've put them in anyway and made him pick the olives out. ;)
I personally like Italian dressing better, and since I'm trying to eat better, I used fat free Italian dressing.

When my husband came home for dinner (I actually had dinner ready and waiting for him! Go me!), I had to make a joke that he might need to eat something more "manly" later after eating this "rabbit" food, as he would call it. I guess that's why we have ice cream in the freezer, right?

Oreo Cupcakes

(Makes 12 cupcakes) 

Cupcakes
1/2 stick unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/2 cup milk
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/8 cups flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
A little bit less than a cup sugar (I recommend brown sugar)
3 large egg whites, at room temperature
1 pkg Oreo Cookies (or about 26 cookies)


Preheat over to 350F. Insert liners into a medium cupcake pan. Twist apart 12 Oreos. Place the wafer with filling on it, filling side up, in the bottom of each paper liner. Cut the wafers with no filling in half. Save 12 halves to put in mixture later. Crush the other 12 wafer halves, also for garnishing.
Cut the remaining Oreo cookies into quarters with a sharp knife.

In a large bowl cream the butter. Add the milk and vanilla and mix to combine. Add the flour, baking powder, and salt. Mix until integrated. Stir in sugar. With an electric mixer on low speed, beat for 30 seconds. Turn the mixer up to medium speed and beat for 2 minutes. Add the egg whites. Beat for 2 more minutes. Stir in the quartered cookies.

Fill the cupcake lines three-quarters full. Bake for about 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center of cupcakes comes out clean. Cool cupcakes in the pan.

 

Frosting
Use Betty Crocker Fluffy White Frosting and sprinkle crushed Oreos on top.

 

This is the goodness of the cupcake on the inside!

Welcome!

This is the Despain Girls' Cooking Blog.

Where we'll be sharing awesome recipes.

Because we're awesome.