Carolyn Strickland's Holiday Crescent Ring

Shortly before Thanksgiving we had a nice So Many Thanksgiving Dishes! show and my colleague Carolyn Strickland made a great looking Holiday Crescent Ring. I tried today, using squash, several kinds of mushrooms, tempeh, kale, onion and seasonings like garlic powder, lemon pepper, and oregano for the filling. I should have photographed it, but when I served I added some cranberry sauce on top.

 

Results

We all loved Carolyn's dish! As a personal chef I'm delivering some food on Christmas Day and think I may make one of these rings for my client!

Ideas for the future

I wish that the crescent rolls were whole wheat. I should make my own dough or buy some whole wheat dough. I also think this would be good with filo dough. In any case, Carolyn's dish is a winner - easy, tasty, and it looks festive.

I didn't grow up with vinegar and, though I now like ume plum vinegar and use it periodically in salads, I am a relative vinegar "novice" and generally don't love the flavor. However, Carolyn's recipe calls for a vinegar glaze before baking and the results were nice. I should experiment with vinegar glazing more dishes.

Kabocha Squash (and more!) Soup (No Added Fat)

I made soup in my Instant Pot pressure cooker with a variety of ingredients, including kabocha squash, potato, and carrots. I enjoy raw cranberries and put a few in my soup. I made a cauliflower dish and a hearty tomato and chickpea salad.

 

Results

We all enjoyed the soup!

Ideas for the future

Especially with the help of pressure cooking, soups always seem to come out well. I should make soups and stews more often. Our January So Many Cooks in the Kitchen show is about soups and stews!