Pressure cooking featured on show

Information on making a 90-minute quilt and cooking with pressure cookers will be the featured topics on "Creative Living" 9:30 p.m. on Tuesday and noon on Thursday. (All times are Mountain.)

Author, designer, and quilter, Meryl Ann Butler will show step-by-step instructions for making a 90-minute quilt which incorporates piecing and quilting done at the same time. She's from Roanoke, Va.

Chef and cooking school owner, John Vollertsen (known as Chef Johnny Vee) will demonstrate how safe and easy pressure cookers have become, and they are definitely making a comeback in modern day kitchens. He is the owner and director of Las Cosas Cooking School in Santa Fe.

Information on cooking with peanuts, using fondant to decorate cakes, and how writers overcome obstacles will be the featured topics on "Creative Living" noon on Tuesday and 2 p.m. on Saturday. (All times are Mountain.)

Gayle Stephenson, spokesperson for the Texas Peanut Producers Board in Lubbock, says that 80 percent of families have peanut butter in their cabinet. She will talk about the history and economics of peanuts as well as demonstrate some delicious and nutritious recipes.

If cake decorating has seemed beyond your reach, Nancy Siler will show how to use fondant to decorate any cake with guaranteed success. Siler is with Wilton Industries, Inc. in Woodridge, Ill.

Author, Sharon Niederman will explain why she decided to write a novel, how she translates real life observations into believable fiction, and tell what obstacles stood in her way before she was successful in this venture. She lives in Albuquerque.

Hot sweet and sour brisket

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1-3.5 lb. brisket, trimmed of fat that is thicker than one-quarter inch thick
• 1 medium onion, peeled and thin sliced
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 cups whole cranberry sauce, (one 16-oz. can)
• 1/2 cup ketchup
• 1 12 oz. bottle Mexican beer (not a dark beer)
• 4 chipotle chilies in Adobo sauce, or to taste
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper
• 1 cup diced potatoes in half-inch cubes
• 2 medium carrots, peeled and diced in half-inch cubes

Heat the olive oil in a 6-quart or larger pressure cooker over medium heat. Brown the brisket on all sides in the pan and then remove and set aside. Add the onions and garlic and sauté until the onions start to sweat. Replace the brisket on top of the onions and then add cranberries, ketchup, beer and chipotles. Stir in the salt and pepper. Put the lid in place and lock. Bring the cooker up to pressure over medium heat and once you have reached the highest pressure your cooker allows, reduce heat to low to maintain pressure setting.

Start your timer and allow to cook 75 minutes. Check that brisket is almost fork tender and then add the potatoes and carrots. Bring pressure back up and cook an additional 5 minutes. Check vegetables and meat for doneness. Remove meat and vegetables from the pot with a slotted spoon, set aside. With the lid off, allow the "gravy" to simmer for up to 30 minutes until it thickens and takes on a glossy appearance. Adjust salt and pepper and replace meat and vegetables in the sauce. Serve immediately or allow to cool to room temperature and then chill, covered in refrigerator for 2 to 3 days. Reheat and serve. Serves 4-6.

"Creative Living" is produced and hosted by Sheryl Borden. The show is carried by more than 118 PBS stations in the United States, Canada, Guam and Puerto Rico and is distributed by Westlink, Albuquerque.