Use parchment paper for embossing

Information on contemporary open embroidery, making hummus at home from scratch, and making felted projects will be the featured topics on “Creative Living” on Tuesday at 9:30 p.m. and on Thursday at noon. (All times are Mountain.)

Catherine Jordan is a master craftsman programs coordinator with the Embroiderers’ Guild of America. She is going to explain and demonstrate what contemporary open embroidery is and show how the open effect is achieved. This technique allows one to look right through the opening to the other side for a maximum dimensional effect. The EGA is located in Louisville, Kentucky.

Charles Broz, assistant professor of culinary arts with Eastern New Mexico University, will demonstrate how to make hummus at home from scratch using very inexpensive ingredients. He’ll also show how to make multiple flavored versions by adding additional ingredients. Broz is from Portales.

Megan Thome is going to show a variety of felted projects, from a sweater to a pillow to seasonal décor, and she’ll demystify the craft of felting, which is actually so easy. She is in Kansas City, Missouri.

Information on pairing food and wine, new uses for patchwork quilt blocks, and using parchment paper for card making will be the featured topics on “Creative Living” on Tuesday at noon and on Saturday at 2 p.m.

David Mirassou is a wine expert and a sixth-generation winemaker. He believes that food and wine enhance one another and are best shared with family and friends with everyday foods on everyday occasions. He's with a winery in San Jose, California.

Margaret Miller is a quilter and author and knows that many quilters love making patchwork blocks, but yearn for a new way of using them. She will show how to see patchwork blocks in a new way and introduce some tools that make the blocks “dance in new ways.” She lives in Bremerton, Washington.

Evelyn Terhune is in Gilbert, Arkansas, and she’s going to demonstrate using parchment paper for embossing and adding a lacy effect through perforation. These creations can be used on cards, in scrapbooks and in other arts and crafts projects.

Chicken in tomato & olive braise

Pairs with pinot noir

6 chicken thighs, 5-6 ounces each

2 teaspoons kosher salt, more to taste

Freshly ground black pepper to taste

2 tablespoons olive oil

3 cloves garlic, sliced about 1/8-inch thick

1 medium yellow onion, thinly sliced

1 pinch hot pepper flakes, or to taste

1/2 teaspoon ground fennel seed

1/4 cup pinot noir

1 large can (1 pound 12 ounces) excellent quality diced tomatoes in juice

2 teaspoons brine-packed capers, rinsed

1 cup whole pitted green olives, rinsed

1 ounce Parmigiano Reggiano cheese, shaved with a vegetable peeler

1 loose cup whole parsley leaves, plucked from the stem

Preheat an oven to 325° F. Select a 3 to 4 quart oven-safe baking dish, and set it aside. Heat a large, heavy skillet over a medium-high burner. While the pan is heating, season the chicken with the salt and ground black pepper. Add the olive oil to the skillet, and allow it to heat through, then add the chicken pieces skin-side down. Cook until crisp and golden, about 5 minutes, then turn and brown equally on the other side, about 4 minutes. Remove the chicken to a plate. Pour off all but about 2 tablespoons of the fat from the skillet, and return it to the stove top over medium heat. Add the garlic and onion, and stir often for 3 minutes, or until it smells sweet. Stir in the pepper flakes and fennel. De-glaze with the wine, stirring against the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon to release the browned juices. Add the tomatoes, capers and olives, and bring the skillet to a simmer. Cook for five minutes, stirring occasionally. Adjust the seasoning to taste, then pour the tomato mixture into the oven-safe baking dish. Arrange the chicken pieces over the tomato mixture, skin-side up, and sprinkle the shaved cheese over the chicken. Place the baking dish on the center rack of the oven and cook for 10 minutes, or until a thermometer reads 160 degrees in the center of the largest piece of chicken. Garnish the dish with parsley leaves and a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil. Serve with soft polenta or your favorite short pasta, and a crisp green salad. Serves 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.