Made To Order: November 2012

Happy Sunday everyone, I hope you're rested and ready for a short work week. I am also looking forward to Thanksgiving and seeing our family. I'm making appetizers for this Thanksgiving and have been creating some great appetizer boards on Pinterest. Here is what Bill and I had for dinner tonight..I didn't feel like going to the store and had a lot of things on hand so here is what I came up with. I had bought the pasta shells awhile back to make an Italian dish but I had more of the ingredients for a Mexican theme. We loved them and you will too with the countless variations you can create. They are a repeat meal! (And a freezer meal)

Mexican Stuffed Jumbo Pasta Shells

Source: The Girl Who Ate Everything

preheat oven to 375
boil 1 large pot of water
Serves 8

Ingredients:
1 Box Jumbo Pasta Shells
1 lb cooked lean ground beef or turkey
1 package taco seasoning
4 oz cream cheese
1 1/2 cups red salsa
1 cup taco sauce (or enchilada sauce works too)
1 chopped chipotle pepper in sauce (optional)
2 cups shredded Mexican cheese
9X13 greased baking dish

Garnish:
Woodall's Secret Sauce ( 1/2 c salsa, 1/2 c mayo, 1/2 sour cream)
Chopped Cilantro
Chopped Avocado
Limes

Directions:
1. Boil a large pot of water and cook jumbo shells according to package directions.

2. Drain pasta and place on a non-stick surface so shells wont stick together.

3. While pasta is cooking start cooking your ground meat, drain fat, add taco seasoning and cook according

to instructions on package, then add cream cheese and blend into meat. Add chipotle pepper if using at this time too.

4. Pam your baking dish, Dump 1-2 cups of salsa into the bottom of the dish and begin to stuff 1-2 tablespoons mixture into each shell arranging standing up in the dish.

**Total 30 pasta shells 20 fit in the baking dish. I used an extra baking dish 8X8 for the extra 10 shells and froze them**

5. Finally add cheese:

6. Bake for 30-40 mins until cheese is melted and browning

7. Garnish on individual plate and enjoy!

For those of you who live by me, King Wha Restaurant has been the iconic Chinese food restaurant in the little land we live and love call Burien. When I would tell people I lived in Burien they only know the name because King Wha, the best Chinese food restaurant was there. I have been going to King Wha since I was in grade school and I have always stayed true to my order, Hot and Sour soup, Mu Shu Pork and Mandarin Chicken. All of these items I had also deemed in my head "restaurant food" and had never tried at home until today....I made Mu Shu Pork!! And in my option it turned out better than King Wha, and it was easy!

Mu Shu Pork - King Wha Copycat Recipe

Serves 6 -1 large pancake or 10 -1 small pancakes

pre-time : 20 mins, cook time 30 mins

Ingredients:

1 lb pork loin -trimmed, pounded and cut into small bit size piece

Marinate:
2 Tbls dark soy sauce
2 Tbls rice wine or dry sherry ( I only had dry sherry cooking wine)
2 Tbls sugar
2 tsp cornstarch

Sauce:

1/2 cup chicken broth

2 Tbls soy sauce

2 Tbls rice wine or dry sherry

1 tsp salt

2 tsps sesame oil

2 tsps corn starch

Other:

1 cup - 1 1/2 cups any kind of mushrooms cut into bit sized pieces
1 small can bamboo shoots- rinse din water 2-3 times.
1 bunch green onions
3tbls chopped fresh ginger
2 - 3 eggs beaten
1/2 teaspoon salt
6 tablespoons oil for stir-frying, or as needed
1 teaspoon sesame oil

1 bag bean spouts
Plum sauce - Prepared
Tortillas or Mandarin pancakes ( Tortilla Land is what I used in the refrigerator section with a yellow package)

Directions:

1. Take Pork; trim off fat, cut into bite sized pieces and pound then.

(this is what I used, it's a end piece of a pork loin)

2. Make marinade, combine soy sauce, rice wine/sherry, sugar and corn starch in a bowl and mix until blended. Add pork and allow to sit for at least 15 mins.

3. Make Sauce in a separate bowl and set aside - broth, soy sauce, salt, oil, sherry/rice wine, corn starch.

4. Heat up your frying pan be sure to use a non-stick or a Wok. I used a 10 in cast iron non-stick on Med-High heat. When pan is hot add 1 tablespoon oil. Add your 2-3 scrambled eggs to the pan and scramble eggs until no longer runny. Remove egg and wipe pan clean with a paper towel.

4. After pan has been cleaned out heat 1-2 tablespoon oil on Med-High heat and add in the chopped ginger until fragrant then add in the pork and the marinade and cook pork until no longer pink. Some of the pieces will stick to the bottom but that's okay, just done let it burn.

Once pork is done, remove from pan and set aside. Wipe down pan as best as you can and heat the remaining 2 tablespoons oil.

5.Add mushrooms to hot oil and allow to reduce 2 minutes until they begin to wilt. Add bamboo shoots and 1/2 of your bunch of onion then add the pork and eggs back into hot pan and turn heat to high and add your reserved sauce. Allow all flavors to blend and sauce to thicken ( about 5 mins) .