Food plating tips coming up

link Sheryl Borden

Creative Living

Information on making a terrarium, plating food for better eye appeal, and working with yarns will be the featured topics on “Creative Living” 9:30 p.m. Tuesday and noon Thursday.

Making a terrarium is a great way to use various containers, interesting plants and create a little care garden for your home. Curt Jaynes owns GardenSource Nursery & Landscaping in Portales, and he’ll show how to put one together and even personalize it.

We’ve all heard that “we eat with our eyes.” Charles Broz is Assistant Professor of Culinary Arts at Eastern New Mexico University, and he’s going to show some ways to plate food for eye appeal.He also lives in Portales.

Crafter, Maria Nerius will show off the hottest yarns in a crafty fashion — and pom poms are back! Nerius will show how to make some fun accessories, jewelry, and other items.She’s with favecrafts.com and lives in Palm Bay, Florida.

Information on the health benefits of fresh pears, using organic sweeteners in recipes, and ways to de-clutter your home will be the featured topics on “Creative Living” noon Tuesday and 2 p.m. Saturday.

Dietitian and author Pat Baird represents the Northwest Pear Bureau, and she will talk about the health benefits of fresh pears and discuss how pears fit into the new recommended dietary guidelines. Baird lives in Greenwich, Connecticut.

Marie Oser is the spokesperson for Wholesome Sweeteners, Inc., and she will demonstrate using organic sweeteners in recipes. She’ll also explain the Fair Trade Agreement that the company abides by.Wholesome Sweeteners is located in Sugarland, Texas.

Author,Kathryn Porter will explain how the clutter wise home embraces a lifestyle of simplicity. She explains that as more and more clutter surrounds us, creativity is blocked. She will tell how to de-clutter the home with smart organizing. Her book is titled “Too Much Stuff,” and she lives in Colorado Springs, Colorado.

Chocolate Bread Pudding

Served warm during winter or cold during summer, this recipe surpasses traditional bread pudding and is a good way to use leftover bread.

• 5 slices fresh whole wheat bread

• 2 1/2 cups soy milk

• 1 1/2 cups Wholesome Sweeteners Organic Fair Trade Sucanat

• 1/4 cup pecan or other nut butter

• 1/4 cup cocoa powder

• 1 tablespoon arrowroot powder or cornstarch

• 1/16 teaspoon clove powder

• 1/4 cup agar flakes (or 1 tablespoon agar powder)

• 1 1/2 cups water

Cut the bread into 1-inch cubes (this should yield 4 cups). In a large mixing bowl, combine the milk, Sucanat, pecan butter, cocoa powder, arrowroot and cloves and mix well. In a small mixing bowl, combine the agar with the water and let sit for one minute, then add to soy milk mixture. Mix well and pour over the bread cubes, cover and let sit at room temperature for 4 hours. Preheat oven to 350º F. Lightly oil a 6-cup baking dish. After the 4-hour resting time, stir bread mixture with a wooden spoon, and pour into the baking dish.

Cover and bake for 40 minutes. This dessert can be served hot out of the oven. However, it is best to let cool for at least 30 minutes to set up before serving. Serve with hazelnut or regular whipped cream.

“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 of Albuquerque.