Small business tools featured this week

link Sheryl Borden

Creative Living

Information on gluten-free foods, tools to help shape small businesses, and ways to use essential oils in recipes will be the featured topics on “Creative Living” 9:30 p.m. Tuesday and noon Thursday.

K. C. Pomering, founder of G-Free Foodie, will tell about her online resource for helping people live deliciously gluten-free, as well as explain why people may want to consider a gluten-free diet whether they are gluten intolerant or not. She lives in Madera, California.

Gary Barnes is going to discuss some tools to help shape small businesses as he highlights the impact small businesses have on the country. His company is Gary Barnes International in Denver, Colorado.

Kris Wrede is an aromatic alchemist and natural perfumer, and her business is Kismet Potions in Albuquerque. In the aromatic kitchen, Wrede will show how to prepare unusual recipes using essential oils to make life more sensual and to help one appreciate the vibrancy of food.

Information on painting candles, creating embroidered-looking flowers on cakes, and new food trends will be the featured topics on “Creative Living” noon Tuesday and 2 p.m. Saturday.

Kris Cranford, a certified instructor for One Stroke Décor, will demonstrate different stroke techniques used in painting daisies and leaves on candles. She lives in Portales.

Nancy Siler is with Wilton Industries in Woodridge, Illinois., and she’s going to demonstrate using a paint brush to create embroidered-looking flowers on a fondant covered cake. This is the ultimate in cake decorating simplicity.

Author and chef Marcie Rothman will talk about food trends and what’s “in” now. She’ll present a little background on pesto and pasta and tell how new recipes have been created using these “old” products. Her company is Five Spot Press, and she’s from San Diego, California.

Gluten-Free Brownies

• 3/4 cup Gluten Free flour blend

• 3/4 tsp. xanthan gum

• 1/4 tsp. salt

• 1/2 tsp. baking powder

• 1/3 cup cocoa

• 1/2 cup oil

• 2 eggs

• 2 tsp. vanilla

• 1 1/4 cup sugar

• 1/4 cup water (or cold coffee)

Preheat oven to 350° F. Lightly spray 8 x 8 inch square pan with cooking spray. In a small bowl, combine flour, xanthan gum, salt, baking powder, and cocoa. Mix and set aside. In a large bowl, whisk oil and eggs together until combined. Add vanilla and sugar. Slowly mix in flour mixture and water. Once all flour is combined, spread evenly into pan. Bake on center rack for 30-35 minutes or until toothpick comes out with few crumbs. Cool completely and serve.

TIP: For more chocolately flavor add 1/2 cup chocolate chips.

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