Contents:
1. What's Hot at DCW

• DCW Of The Month

• Legal Advice Column

• Christmas Articles Invited

2. Business & Entertainment

• DCW Christmas Party!

• Guy Fawkes Day

• Health - Fruits

• Food - Bonfire Recipes

• Crafts - Scented Rocks

• Contests

Dot Com Women of the Month - MARY ANN and KIMBERLY
Life has been a Party for this Dynamic Mother-Daughter Duo ever since they became business partners in 1997. Mary Ann's vision and Kimberly's dynamism have led their business to great heights of success. Instead of building just another online shop, they decided to make it a complete shopping stop and resource center for Party Planning and Cake Decorating enthusiasts. Read the Interview!

LEGAL ADVICE COLUMN
Dot Com Women brings to you expert Legal Advice. Send your questions to Legal Expert Donna Fox. Donna will personally answer them.

http://www.dotcomwomen.com/ask_auburn.shtml

CHRISTMAS-THEMED ARTICLES INVITED
Christmas/Holiday/Winter Related articles are invited from members and subscribers for the following categories: BUSINESS, PARENTING, CRAFTS, HOME & LIFESTYLE, BEAUTY, FITNESS, FASHION & STYLE

Send your articles to me at lata@dotcomwomen.com with 'Christmas Articles' in the subject.

Articles maybe used on the website or the ezine. Articles will carry your resource box and also your pic. (optional)

I am not mentioning the Food section because the recipe contest will begin soon and I want you to save your best recipes for that! Looking forward to receiving your content contributions.

DCW CHRISTMAS PARTY!

1. Just For Our Ezine Subscribers - WINTER CARE TIPS
Send me your tried and tested tips to get yourself prepared for winter. Tips may be for beauty, skincare, makeup, health, fitness etc. Anything that you do to equip yourself for the winters. Send your tips to me at lata@dotcomwomen.com with Winter Care Tips in the subject and ALL of the following info: Your Name, Your Country, Category of the tip (Beauty, Health etc.). You can send in more than one tip.

Prizes:
1st prize - Beauty Tips 4 a New You eBook by L'Exquisite Inc Esthetics & Nails worth $19.95
2nd prize - Unwind Bath Salt by ARBONNE Independent Consultant Ann Phelps worth $18.50

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2. Just For Our Forum Members - GIFT IDEAS UNDER $25
Post practical gift suggestions for this Christmas under $25. All details available at the forums - http://www.dotcomwomen.com/forums You have to register at the forums to be able to post your entries. Registration is FREE!!

Prizes: Holiday Duo Delight Candle set by Kathi's Partyshop

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3. 'A MEMORABLE CHRISTMAS' - Travel Writing Contest (Open for all women)
Send us your most memorable Christmas Travel experience. You do NOT have to be a writer to participate. We will do any editing, if needed. For details, visit http://www.dotcomwomen.com/christmas/travel_writing.html

That's all for this week. Keep watching this space for Christmas Party updates and special 'Just for Subscribers' contests.

GUY FAWKES DAY

Guy Fawkes Day, in simple words, is the British 'Halloween' - marked by bonfires and firecrackers and treacle toffee (Oh Gosh - I never miss that, do I)! Oh well, that's how I've been knowing it all these years. But this year, I looked up it's history and for who don't know about it, here goes:

In 1605, a person named Guy Fawkes tried to blow up the British Parliament with 36 barrels of gunpowder. He, and his band of fellow conspirators, were caught after one of the group sent a letter to King James of England warning him to stay away from Parliament. Guy Fawkes was imprisoned and eventually put to death for his trouble, although modern British people remember him as "the only man ever to enter Parliament with honest intentions!"

Nowadays, the British mark Guy Fawkes' Day (or simply Bonfire Night) by building bonfires and letting off fireworks. Traditionally, children made effigies of Fawkes from old clothes stuffed with newspaper, and display their "Guy" in the streets, asking "Penny for the Guy?", and expecting to receive some money. Guys were then thrown on the bonfire at the height of the celebrations.

Big firework displays are organized in public playing fields and open areas, usually with huge bonfires. The bonfires often take weeks to build, and in small communities and villages everyone will bring some wood to add to the pile.

The events of 1605 are also remembered in a nursery rhyme.

"Remember, remember, the 5th of November,
Gunpowder, treason and plot.
We see no reason why gunpowder treason
Should ever be forgot."

Heard that rhyme before? Of Course, you did! I've used it in the editorial. And now you know why I did that.

Have a Topper of a Guy Fawkes Day!

HEALTH

Fruits - Facts and Myths

Apple a day keeps the Doctor away
This is very true and it does keep the doctor away. In fact apples and all other fruits, for that matter, have proven over time to do nothing but good for human beings.

It is better to eat fresh fruit
This is also true. When making fruit juice, valuable fibre may be removed. Sugar may also be added to packaged juices that are bought from supermarkets. Sugar syrup may also be added to the juices sold at hawker stalls. So, by drinking juices in place of fruit, you could gain more calories but miss out on valuable dietary fibre.

Fresh orange juice is better than frozen concentrate orange juice
This is a myth. Researchers have recently discovered that orange juice made from frozen concentrate can have higher levels of active Vitamin C than ready-to-drink orange juice. And once reconstituted, the vitamin in frozen juices may keep its potency longer. This is because Vitamin C is destroyed very easily and ready-to-drink orange juice goes through more processing than concentrates.

Yellow fruits are rich in vitamin C
This is true. The pulp of yellow fruit is a good source of bioflavonoids, which can help neutralise cancer-causing substances. Colour therapists say yellow foods are foods associated with the sun, and can raise one's spirits and boost optimism. Thus eat lots of yellow fruit like bananas, grapefruit, pineapples, melons, lemon etc.

Red fruits contain vitamin A
This is true. Red fruits contain beta-carotene, the plant version of vitamin A. Fruits with a higher level of beta-carotene are redder in colour. Colour therapists say red fruits have a warming and energising quality. Thus eat lots of watermelons, cranberries, red apples, raspberries, red cherries, red plums, strawberries, tomatoes etc.

Green fruits are good for your heart
This is true. Green fruits are the most vital of all fruits since they contain a chemical that protects you against heart attack and keeps your heart healthy. They also protect one against bacteria, thus reducing the risks of food poisoning and tumours. They are recommended for low blood pressure and soothing the nerves. Thus you should include avocados, green grapes, green apples, kiwi fruit, limes etc in your meals.

Orange fruits keep you fresh and active
This is true. Orange fruits are rich in beta-carotene, which makes one energetic and active all day long. It is seen by colour therapists as the colour of creation, and is linked to the mind and ideas. Eat lots of mangoes, apricots, oranges, nectarines etc.

People who want to lose weight can go on a fruit-only diet
This is a Myth. The body needs a balanced diet in order to be healthy. Eating only fruits will deprive the body of the necessary nutrients not found in fruits.

Popping a Vitamin C capsule is just as good as eating an orange
This is a myth. Fruits and vegetables contain numerous phytochemicals. For example, broccoli alone may contain as many as 10,000 phytochemicals. Although phytochemicals have been found to benefit the body in some ways, the safety of large doses of isolated, purified phytochemicals, as found in supplement capsules, has not been investigated thoroughly. So, the best and safest source of phytochemicals is an actual fruit and not a supplement.
 

FOOD

GUY FAWKES DAY SPECIAL

Bonfire Biscuits
These are called Bonfire Biscuits because they are great to eat standing around the bonfire on bonfire night!

Ingredients

6 oz margarine
1 tbsp syrup
1 cup of each of plain flour, sugar, dessicated coconut, oats
½ tsp bicarbonate of soda dissolved in 2 tbsp hot water
Method

Melt the margarine and syrup in a saucepan. Mix in the dry ingredients. Add soda bicarb and water.

Place 6 or 8 teaspoonfuls of the mixture on an ungreased tray and bake at gas mark 3, 170C until golden (10 to 15 mins). Cool slightly and remove to cooling rack.

Repeat until all the mixture has been used.

Pumpkin Soup

Serves 4
Ingredients

2¼ lb/1kg pumpkin
2 onions, chopped
1oz / 25g butter or vegetarian margarine
1 medium potato, peeled and diced
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1 pint / 600ml water
1 pint / 600ml vegetable stock
5 fl oz / 150ml single cream
chopped parsley to garnish
salt and freshly ground black pepper

Method
1 Remove the skin and seeds from the pumpkin;
dice the flesh.
2 Fry the onions in the butter or margarine for 10 minutes,
then add the pumpkin, potato and garlic and fry for a further 5 minutes.
3 Add the water and vegetable stock and simmer for 20 minutes.
4 Purée the mixture in a food processor or blender, add the cream and seasoning to taste.
Heat through again gently without boiling, garnish with the chopped parsley and serve with Garlic Granary Bread (below).

Garlic Granary Bread

Serves 4
Ingredients

1 granary French stick, diagonally sliced almost all the way through at 1½in intervals
½lb / 225g butter or vegetarian margarine
6 cloves garlic, crushed
2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley
ground black pepper

Method

1. Mix the butter, garlic and parsley together thoroughly.
2. Spread the mixture liberally into the cuts in the loaf.
3. Wrap the loaf in tin foil and cook in the oven for 20 mins at 180?°C/350?°F/gas mark 4.
Check halfway through cooking time; the bread is ready when the butter has completely melted and the bread is hot and crispy.

Stuffed Jacket Potatoes

Serves 4

Ingredients

4 large baking potatoes
1 onion, finely chopped
4oz / 100g sliced mushrooms
1 small tin sweetcorn, drained
1 red pepper, finely diced
1 garlic clove, crushed
2oz / 50g butter or vegetarian margarine
4oz / 100g vegetarian cheese, grated
1tbsp fresh tarragon, chopped s
salt and freshly ground black pepper to season

Method
1 Scrub and prick the potatoes then bake at 230?°C/450?°F/gas mark 8 for 1 to 1½ hours or until soft.
Remove from the oven and leave to cool a little. Halve the potatoes, scoop out the insides and mash until soft and fluffy.
2 Saute the onion, mushrooms, sweetcorn, red pepper and garlic in the butter for a few minutes.
3 Place the potato skins on a baking sheet. Mix together the mashed potato the vegetable mixture, half the cheese and all the chopped tarragon.
Season to taste.
4 Pile the mixture back into the potato skins and sprinkle with the remaining cheese. Return the potatoes to the oven, turned down to 190?°C/375?°F/gas mark 5 and cook for about 20 minutes until crisp and golden-brown.

Golden Vegetable Casserole with Sage Dumplings

Serves 4

Ingredients

For the casserole:

1 onion, sliced
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 carrot, scrubbed and chopped
1 medium parsnip, scrubbed and cubed
1 small swede, peeled and cubed --
1 small turnip, peeled and cubed
4oz / 100g Jerusalem artichoke, well scrubbed and quartered (optional)
4oz / 100g chestnut mushrooms, halved
1 tsp dried thyme
1 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped
1½ / 900ml pints vegetable stock
1tsp Marmite or other yeast extract -
salt and freshly ground black pepper

For the dumplings:

4oz / 175g self-raising wholewheat flour
2oz / 50g vegetable suet
½tsp salt
½tsp dried sage or 1 tsp fresh sage
1tsp dried mustard
2tbsp milk

Method
1 Sauté over a medium heat the onion, garlic, carrots, parsnip, swede, turnip and artichoke (if using) with the herbs for 10 minutes, stirring at intervals to prevent the vegetables sticking.
2 Add the mushrooms and cook for another 5 minutes.
3 Add the vegetable stock, Marmite and seasoning and simmer gently for 30 minutes or until the vegetables are cooked.
4 Make the dumplings by mixing the flour, mustard powder, salt, herbs and vegetable suet in a bowl.
Add the milk and mix to make a soft dough. Form into small dumplings and drop them into the casserole.
5 Simmer for another 15 minutes or until the dumplings are puffed up.

Parkin

Serves 4

Ingredients

4oz / 100g plain wholewheat flour -
2 tsp baking powder
2 tsp ground ginger
4oz / 100g medium oatmeal
4 tbsp Muscovado sugar
4oz / 100g black treacle
4oz / 100g clear honey or golden syrup
4oz / 100g butter or vegetarian margarine
6 fl oz / 175ml milk

Method
1 Preheat the oven to 180?°C/350?°F/gas mark 4. Line an 8in square cake tin with greased greaseproof paper.
2 Mix the flour, baking powder, ginger and oatmeal in a bowl.
3 Gently melt the sugar, treacle, honey or golden syrup and butter or margarine in a saucepan. Leave it to cool down slightly then stir in the milk.
4 Add the mixture to the dry ingredients, mix thoroughly, then pour into the cake tin. Bake for 50-60 minutes until it feels firm on top.
5 Remove from the tin and put on a wire tray to cool. Remove the lining paper and store wrapped in foil until served.

Date and Malt Flapjacks

Serves 4

Ingredients
5oz / 150g margarine
4oz / 100g malt
8oz / 225g oats
3oz / 75g dates, finely chopped
pinch of salt

Method
1 Melt the margarine and malt in a saucepan. Remove from the heat and add the oats dates and salt.
2 Grease a 7in square shallow tin, press the mixture evenly into it and bake for 20 minutes at 190?°C / 370?°F / gas mark 5.
3 Cut into squares while still warm but leave until cool before removing from the tin.

Boozy Baked Apples and Flambe Bananas

Serves 4

Ingredients
4 large cooking apples
4 large bananas

For the apple filling:

4oz / 100g mixed dried fruit
2oz / 50g chopped walnuts
1 tsp cinnamon
2 tbsp brandy
1 tbsp soft light brown sugar

For the banana topping:

1½oz / 40g butter
1 tbsp brown sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
4 dessertspoon rum
whipped cream to serve

Method
1 Wash and core the apples. Score around the middle with a sharp knife to prevent bursting during cooking.
2 Mix together or blend in a food processor the dried fruit, nuts, cinnamon and brandy.
3 Stuff the mixture into the apples. Place the apples in an ovenproof dish, add ¼in of water and bake at 180?°C/350?°F/gas mark 4 for 40 minutes or until golden, soft and fluffy.
4 Slice the bananas in half lengthwise. Melt the butter in a skillet or frying pan over a gentle heat. Add the sugar and cinnamon, stir well and add the bananas. Cook gently on either side for 3-5 minutes.
5 Add the rum to the pan, allow to heat up for a few minutes then flambe briefly by lighting the rum with a match. Serve immediately with the baked apples and whipped cream.

CRAFTS

Scented rocks

1/2 cup plain flour
1/2 cup salt
1/4 teaspoon essential oil
2/3 cups boiling water
Food coloring, if desired

1. In bowl, mix dry ingredients well.
2. Add essential oil, and boiling water to dry ingredients. (scent will be strong, but will fade slightly when dry.)
3. For color stones, blend in food coloring, one drop at a time. Until desired shade is reached.
4. Blend ingredients, and form balls.
5. Allow stones to dry.
 

'The Dot Com Woman' Ezine is published by Lata Budhrani, Editor & Contributing Author.

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