It’s here, it’s finally here! Fall has officially arrived with Starbucks’ release of its Pumpkin Spice Latte earlier this week. It’s time to break out those fall jackets from storage, begin jumping in random piles of leaves (I suggest you wait until later on in the season) and adding a touch of pumpkin to all our meals.

One of my favorite savory pumpkin dishes is a good pumpkin ravioli in a creamy, white sauce. However, I wasn’t feeling particularly fancy or in the mood to make my own ravioli so I decided to take a shortcut by making these tasty deep fried pumpkin wontons instead. You can save lots of time by buying a package of premade wonton wrappers from the Asian grocery store. I especially love that although these crispy appetizers are super easy to make, they still have a gourmet flavor with spicy sausage and zesty sage. Try serving them with a balsamic glaze or country gravy!

pumpkin wontons making of

making pumpkin wontons

pumpkin spice fried wontons

pumpkin spice wontons

I didn’t have lamb until I was a freshman in college and my tastebuds had an epiphany at a late night gyro joint. It’s the Cadillac of red meats with it’s rich flavor, tender texture and slightly gamy yet sophisticated aroma. While I’d cooked with ground lamb to make samosas and meatballs before, I had yet to tackle a more complicated lamb dish…that is until rack of lamb was on sale at Costco today. At first I was daunted with the task since rack of lamb usually only makes an appearance at holidays and fancy steakhouses but I soon realized that it is incredibly easy to prepare. All I had to do was rub it with some wasabi dijon mustard, coat it with some panko bread crumbs and stick it in the oven. The clean up was easy too! Some tips:

  • I was in a bit of a rush so I just let the rack of lamb marinade with the mustard rub for about an hour at room temperature. I think placing it in a plastic bag and letting it refrigerate overnight would have allowed for a more robust flavor.
  • Use your hands to coat the panko bread crumbs. Using a spoon or another tool can make the bread crumbs clumpy and unevenly distributed which can lead to uneven toasting in the oven.

Confession: I had the entire rack of lamb by myself. Once I sliced up the lamp chops, they were just like meat lollipops and I couldn’t help myself. Moral of the story – this recipe is meant to serve four, but it could very well serve one. Ron Swanson would have been proud.

meat lollipop

wasabi dijon rack of lamb marinade

wasabi dijon rack of lamb

Happy Labor Day Weekend! In honor of the last long weekend of the summer, I figured it was only appropriate to fire up the grill and make some burgers. The best part of making this today? Everything with the exception of the ground pork and seasonings came from the Farmer’s Market; even Stella’s famous Hot Spicy Cheesy Bread made a guest appearance. Classic Vietnamese lemongrass pork patties taste even better on the grill served with fresh banh mi toppings and of course, a heaping pile sweet potato fries. If you really want to impress your party guests, try sprinkling homemade Sriracha sea salt on your fries. The secret? Mix equal parts coarse sea salt and Sriracha and give those tastebuds what they deserve.

banh mi burger

While champagne is the king of celebratory libations, I would choose sake bombs over some bubbly any day. Perhaps I associate sake bombs with festivities because going out for hibachi is usually my go to for birthday parties, both mine and others, but I think there’s something about being surrounded with your friends, shouting at the top of your lungs, slamming your fists on the table and making a drunken mess that makes celebrating all the more fun and heartfelt.

As I started a new chapter of my life and career this week, I knew no other way to commemorate than with sake bombs, only this time a little more daintily in the form of cupcakes. But don’t worry, despite the rich beer cupcake and decadent sake buttercream frosting, they’re still boozy enough to get the party started. Cheers!

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Sake Bomb Cupcakes 017