You can receive Featurettes by e-mail daily, weekly or monthly by request. We can e-mail by your choice of topic or all stories as you may prefer. To make it even more convenient for editors to use our stories, NAPS has added an RSS syndication feed to our Web site. Simply hit the RSS button on our site for automated updates on available content. Please contact us to arrange to receive Featurettes in the format that works best for you at (800) 222-5551 or e-mail your request to us at printmedia@napsnet.com. We can provide Featurettes on CD-ROM or you can download it online at www.napsnet.com. Gary Lipton Media Relations Manager Phone: 1-(800)-222-5551 Fax: 1-(800)-990-4329 Web site: www. napsnet .com e-mail: printmedia@napsnet.com #2547 North American Precis Syndicate, Inc., 350 Fifth Avenue, 65th Floor, New York, N.Y. 10118-0110 A Gift With The Lure Of The Outdoors Smoke Alarms Save Lives (NAPSA)—Thousands of lives could be saved from home fires each year if the homes had working smoke alarms. To encourage people to install and maintain smoke alarms and sprinklers, practice fire escape plans and perform a home safety walk-through, the U.S. Fire Administration (USFA) launched the Install. Inspect. Protect. Campaign. USFA recommends installing and maintaining smoke alarms on every level of your home. The campaign suggests: • Placing properly installed and maintained smoke alarms both inside and outside of sleeping areas and on every level of your home. • Installing both ionization and photoelectric smoke alarms or dual sensor smoke alarms. • Testing smoke alarms monthly and changing alkaline batteries at least once every year or as instructed. • Installing residential fire sprinklers in your home. Do your part to get out before firefighters have to come in. For more information, visit www.usfa.dhs.gov/smokealarms or call (800) 561-3356. (NAPSA)—Even if you don’t know a rod from a reel, a leading retailer is making it even easier to find the right item for the outdoor enthusiasts on your gift list. Chances are, even if you don’t know what they want, they do— and since gift cards are the top gift choice for 79 percent of U.S. consumers, according to The Hartman Group, it makes sense to let them select it with a gift card from Bass Pro Shops. A Web site that specializes in gift cards is making it easier to shop for the outdoor enthusiasts on your gift list. All it requires is a trip to a local grocery where you can purchase a gift card at the Gift Card Mall. The cards can be redeemed for online purchases, catalog orders and purchases made at Bass Pro Shops retail stores. Another aspect that some say makes the card a “great catch” is that they can be purchased online at GiftCardMall.com and personalized with a photo or message to reflect the interests of the person receiving it. There are cards that celebrate hunting or fishing, as well as birthday cards, a thank-you card and an any-occasion card. Gift CardMall.com also offers a number of exclusive products, such as sports cards good for tickets, concessions and merchandise from participating professional and college sports teams. To learn more, visit BassProShops.com and GiftCard Mall.com. Pumpkin Or Sweet Potato? Tips And Topping To Make The Best Pie (NAPSA)—’Tis the season for pie making. This recipe for Sweet Potato Pie features a stunning fig and toasted pecan topping that works equally well on pumpkin pie. Whether you prefer pumpkin or lean toward sweet potato, these baking tips will reward you with pie perfection. Luscious, sweet, moist, dark Mission or golden California Calimyrna figs are simmered in brandy and maple syrup and swirled with toasted pecans. Spooned over a silky-smooth sweet potato filling, this showy, classic pie is even more appealing when you realize it started with a refrigerated pie crust. For more recipes and fig tips, visit Valley Fig Growers at www.valleyfig.com. Perfect Pie Tips • For optimum baking results, use a glass or dull-metal pie pan. Avoid shiny metal or disposable aluminum pans, which reflect heat and prevent crusts from browning. Dark pans may cause crusts to brown too much. • To keep baked edges from getting too brown, cover the edges with foil after the first 15 minutes of baking. Use a 12-inch-square piece of foil. Cut out a 7-inch circle from the center, and gently fold the foil “ring” around the crust’s edge. Be careful: The pie will be hot! • Use a hot oven temperature during the first 15 minutes of baking. • Cool the pie on a wire rack to help prevent a soggy bottom. The rack helps air circulate. 2 tablespoons maple syrup 1 tablespoon brandy or water 1 ⁄2 cup chopped, toasted pecans Fig and toasted pecan topping takes classic sweet potato pie to new heights. Sweet Potato Pie With Fig And Pecan Topping Pie: 1 refrigerated pie crust (1⁄2 of 15-oz. package) 15 ounces canned sweet potatoes, packed in light syrup 1 ⁄3 cup packed light brown sugar 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice 1 ⁄4 teaspoon salt 2 large eggs 3 ⁄4 cup whipping cream Topping: 1 ⁄4 cup butter 1 ⁄4 cup packed light brown sugar 1 cup stemmed, chopped Blue Ribbon Orchard Choice or Sun-Maid Figs Preheat oven to 450˚F. Prepare one 9-inch pie crust according to package directions for filled pie; do not bake. Drain sweet potatoes; mash or whirl in food processor until smooth (potatoes should measure 11⁄8 cups). In medium bowl, whisk together sweet potatoes, brown sugar, spice and salt. Whisk in eggs, one at a time, and cream. Pour filling into crust. Bake pie 15 minutes; reduce heat to 350˚, shield edge of pie with foil to prevent overbrowning, and continue baking for 25 to 30 minutes or until center moves slightly when shaken. Remove pie to wire rack to cool. For topping, in small saucepan, stir butter and brown sugar over medium heat until melted. Stir in figs, maple syrup and brandy. Bring to a simmer and cook, stirring constantly, 2 minutes or until reduced to a thick, glossy syrup. Remove from heat and stir in pecans. Spoon evenly over warm pie. Cool. Chill for up to 8 hours before serving. Makes 8 servings.