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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 #2496 North American Precis Syndicate, Inc., 350 Fifth Avenue, 65th Floor, New York, N.Y. 10118-0110 Gourmet Ice Cream Dessert With A Difference (NAPSA)—When you’re looking for a way to surprise and delight family and friends, a gourmet take on ice cream can be a real crowd pleaser. Here’s one cool idea: Gourmet Banana-PoundCheesecake 4 (1⁄3-inch)-thick slices pound cake 4 tablespoons butter, room temperature, plus 3 tablespoons cold butter 2 cups bananas, cut into 1 ⁄3-inch semicircles 1 ⁄4 cup light-brown sugar 1 ⁄3 teaspoons ground cinnamon 1 ⁄4 teaspoon ground nutmeg 2 teaspoons vanilla extract Pinch salt Marble Slab Creamery’s Cheesecake Ice Cream Mint leaves, for garnish (3⁄4 cup rum optional) Place 12-inch saute pan over medium heat. Butter each side of pound cake slices with 1 1⁄3 teaspoons of room temperature butter. Saute for 1 minute a side. Remove cake slices. Return pan to the stove. Increase heat to medium-high. Add 2 tablespoons cold butter, when melted, add bananas and saute, stirring often for 1 minute. If desired, add brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, vanilla extract and salt. Cook 1 minute, and remove pan from heat. If desired, add rum, ignite and let burn out. Return pan to stove. Cook 30 seconds. Swirl remaining butter into mixture. Place 1 scoop of Marble Slab Creamery’s Cheesecake Ice Cream on each Hybrids: Not Just For Driving Anymore (NAPSA)—There’s great news for the 38 million contact lens wearers in the United States. There’s a new kind of hybrid contact lens that offers patients the crisp, clear vision of “hard,” or rigid, gas permeable lenses, with the all-day comfort of a soft lens. Until now, people wanting to wear contact lenses have had only two choices: hard or soft lenses. “Hard” lenses offer crisp, clear vision but are often irritating and Just Chill—Ice cream and cake can make for a delicious dessert any time of year. slice of cake and top with equal portions of banana mixture. Garnish with mint. Serve immediately. Secret Way To Save Time And Trouble When you don’t have time to put together a fancy ice cream dessert yourself, you can check out ice cream stores for treats ranging from cakes and pints to sundaes, smoothies and shakes. Premium ice cream vendors such as Marble Slab Creamery have gourmet flavors including Key Lime, Peppermint, Peanut Butter and Blueberry that can stand all on their own—along with all the classics from Vanilla, to Chocolate to Strawberry. You can even enjoy them in any of eight different flavors of handrolled, freshly baked waffle cones. Do Your Share According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, about 1.6 billion gallons of ice cream are produced each year in America. That’s more than 21 quarts per person. Learn More For more information, visit marbleslab.com. Hybrid contact lenses offer the comfort of soft lenses and the visual sharpness of hard lenses. uncomfortable. Soft lenses have a reputation for comfort but often fall short in providing crisp, clear vision. SynergEyes hybrid lenses offer the best of both worlds: a rigid center with a soft lens skirt to give contact lens wearers the benefits of both visual acuity and all-day comfort. These hybrid lenses are appropriate for a wide variety of contact lens wearers, including those with astigmatism, people over age 40 dealing with blurred near vision, keratoconus patients and people who need additional vision correction following refractive surgery. To find an eye care professional near you who prescribes SynergEyes hybrid contact lenses, go to www.synergeyes.com. Sealing In Savings With Silicone (NAPSA)—You might cut annual energy bills as much as 10 percent just by sealing leaks in your home with caulk and insulation, according to Energy Star. Try these tips for keeping drafts out and warm air in: Select The Right Caulk It’s a good idea to seal with silicone instead of acrylic caulk or even siliconized acrylic. Here’s why: Silicone... • Is permanently waterproof, airtight and flexible, unlike acrylic • Provides a long-lasting seal • Won’t shrink, crack or crumble over time, like acrylic • Won’t freeze in the cold or bake in the heat, like acrylic. Acrylic... • Is water based, so it dries out as the water escapes—some can shrink up to 25 percent • Shrinkage can leave gaps and cracks for air and water to seep through • Can crumble over time • Can crack when exposed to extreme cold or heat. A silicone caulk, such as GE Silicone II* Window & Door or GE Silicone II XST Paintable Formula, can be a good choice. On average, the gaps and cracks in a typical home can be sealed with about four tubes of caulk and insulation. Find Drafts Next, use an incense stick to check your home for drafts. Just light the stick and hold it near windows, doorways, outlets and other areas where a home’s seal tends to be compromised. If the smoke looks like it’s being blown, Sealing with silicone could save energy dollars. there’s probably a draft coming in. Prep Time Use a razor blade to remove any old caulk that might be on an area you plan to seal. Then clean the surface with a household cleaner, rubbing alcohol or a wire brush, and wipe with a clean cloth. Make sure the surface is clean, dry and free of soap, grease, dirt and dust before caulking. Get Caulking Hold your caulk gun at a 45degree angle and gently squeeze the trigger, applying even pressure to avoid globs. Then run your finger along the bead to ensure that it’s neat, even and, most importantly, fills the gap to form a tight seal. Caulk cures—or dries— from the outside in, and drying times vary. GE Silicone II is dry to the touch after about 30 minutes. Use mineral spirits for proper cleanup of silicone caulk. For more information, visit www.gesealants.com.