Cooking for longevity on upcoming show

Information on working with hearty clay, cooking for longevity and using figs in popular food trends will be the featured topics on “Creative Living” on Tuesday, at 9:30 p.m. and on Thursday at noon.

Dianna Effner is a designer of doll molds, and she will show several dolls and other items made from Hearty Clay. She’ll demonstrate how to mix colors and how to condition the clay for pressing. Her company is Expressions, Inc. in Jamestown, Missouri.

Maria Benardis will talk about some of the ancient Greek secrets for longevity. She has studied the ancient Greeks, many of whom are family members, and made observations that can help us learn to eat for longevity. Her book is titled “Cooking & Eating: Wisdom for Better Health.” She lives in New York City.

Karla Stockli is the CEO for the California Fig Advisory Board, and she’s going to demonstrate how easy it is to incorporate California figs into five popular food trends, including Pops, Salty Sweets, Small Bites, Sliders and Cheese plates. Stockli is from Fresno, California.

Information on power sorting in scrapbooking, coping with communication apprehension, and making spectacular stitches will be the featured topics on “Creative Living” on Tuesday at noon and on Saturday at 2 p.m.

Creative Memories Independent Consultant, Debbie Sorensen from Carlsbad explains how to power sort when scrapbooking. She suggests organizing items in one place, choose a theme (if desired), sort as to event, and most important of all — commit to doing the task at hand.

Dr. Robert Vartabedian says that the almost inevitable fear associated with public speaking is sometimes known as communication apprehension. As a former actor and speech instructor, he’ll talk about ways to cope with this apprehension. Dr. Vartabedian is president of a college in St. Joseph, Mossier, and formerly with Eastern New Mexico University in Portales.

Sewing expert, Vivian Lavinskas, manager of consumer affairs with Singer Sewing Co., explains that today’s sewing machines have so many built-in stitches that most consumers don’t know how to use. She’s going to show how to make spectacular stitches while creating some beautiful projects for the home and for gift giving. She’s from Lavergne, Tennessee.

Hippocrates’

Carrot Soup

• 4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

• 2 leeks, white part only, thinly sliced

• 2 pounds (1 kg carrots), peeled and chopped

• 3 stalks celery, thinly chopped

• 4 cups (1 litre) vegetable or chicken stock

• 1 cup flat-leaf (Italian) parsley, plus 2 tablespoons extra, to garnish

• 2 teaspoons chopped thyme leaves

• 1-2 teaspoons ground cumin

• Sea salt and cracked black pepper, to taste

• 6 tablespoons plain Greek-style yogurt, to garnish

Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan over a medium heat. Add the leek, carrot and celery and cook uncovered, stirring occasionally, for 5-8 minutes or until the vegetables start to soften. Add the stock, parsley, thyme, cumin, salt and pepper and mix well. Cover and bring to a low simmer and cook for 20-25 minutes or until the carrots are very tender.

Remove from the heat and set aside to cool slightly. Place the cooked vegetables into a food processor or blender and process until smooth. Return the soup to the saucepan and heat over medium—high until hot. Ladle the soup into serving bowls and season with a tablespoon of yogurt and the extra parsley. Serve while still hot.

“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.