Creative Living: Needle felting, sweet potatoes coming up

Information on needle felting and creating a marbleized effect on fabric will be the featured topics on "Creative Living" on 9:30 p.m. Tuesday and noon on Thursday.

Michele Muska is with the Simplicity Creative Group, and she's going to demonstrate the new 12-needle deluxe electric felting machine as she makes beautiful felted cuffs to wear as bracelets or to attach to garments. She's from Antioch, Tenn.

Evelyn Terhune is the owner of Ozark Crafts in Gilbert, Ariz., and she's going to show how to use ordinary shaving cream and acrylic paints to create a marbleized effect on fabric which can then be used for a variety of projects.

Information on cooking with sweet potatoes, doing power layouts in scrapbooking and candle gift giving will be the featured topics on "Creative Living" noon Tuesday and 2 p.m. Saturday.

Sue Langdon represents the North Carolina Sweet Potato Commission and will talk about how sweet potatoes fit a healthy diet. She's from Smithfield, N.C.

Debbie Sorenson is an independent consultant with Creative Memories, and she's from Carlsbad. Sorenson will demonstrate "power layouts" for scrapbooks. Her techniques will work for a beginning or for a more experienced "scrapbooker."

Beth Vesco-Smith is with PartyLite Gifts, Inc. in Plymouth, Mass. She will share gift ideas for birthdays, weddings, and other occasions, and they all involve candles and candle accessories.

Foster's market roasted sweet potato salsa

• 2 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and chopped into 1/2-inch pieces
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1 tablespoon balsamic or red wine vinegar
• 1 teaspoon chili powder
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 tomato, cored and chopped
• 1 red bell pepper, cored, seeded and chopped into 1/4-inch dices (about 1 cup)
• 2 jalapenos, seeded and diced
• 2 scallions, minced (green and white part)
• 2 tablespoons fresh chopped cilantro
• Juice and zest of 1 large lime (about 2 tablespoons)
• Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 400° F.

In a medium bowl, toss the sweet potatoes with the olive oil, vinegar, chili powder and cumin and spread in one layer on a large rimmed baking pan.

Place in the oven and roast for 30 to 35 minutes, stirring a couple of times, until the potatoes are golden brown and soft.

Remove from oven and let cool.

In a medium bowl, place the tomato, red pepper, jalapeno, scallions, cilantro and lime juice and zest with the sweet potatoes; toss until combined.

Season with salt and pepper and serve warm with eggs, tostadas, grilled steak or chicken.

Makes approximately 3 1/4 cups.

"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.