CHECK OUT : NEWS AND TIPS.

CONTEST ALERT: There's still time to enter the Pillsbury Quick and Easy Bake-Off with a chance to win the $1 million grand prize. Send your best original recipe in one of four categories: 30-minute main dishes; simple side dishes; fast and easy treats; and quick snacks and appetizers. Entries must be postmarked by Oct. 20 and received by midnight Oct. 24 at Pillsbury Quick & Easy Bake-Off Contest, Department B, P.O. Box 5704, Hopkins, Minn. 55343. Details of the contest rules and an entry form are available from www.bakeoff.com on the Internet.

NEW ON THE SHELF: The kitchens at Newman's Own, the company owned by Paul Newman, have been cooking up a storm again. The latest addition to the product line is Newman's Own Roasted Garlic & Red and Green Peppers pasta sauce. It's a delicious combination of roasted garlic and red and green peppers in a base of fresh tomatoes, extra virgin olive oil and a little pecorino-Romano cheese. It comes packed in a 26-ounce jar with suggested retail of $2.39. Our tasters give it a thumbs up. Try it over plain cooked pasta, baked atop chicken breasts or in combination with chicken or sausage, pasta and fresh veggies. Once you taste it, you'll think of other ways to use it too.

CULINARY KIDS: Getting youngsters in the kitchen is the focus of Williams-Sonoma ``Cooks for Kids,'' a monthlong event running through Oct. 8 at all its stores. Among the items being introduced are the new ``Kids Cooking'' cookbook by Susan M. Katzman (Time-Life; $14.95), maple rolling pin ($18) and kids'-size aprons (red or blue, in two sizes, $16 each).

CANDY IS DANDY: Trick or treat. Lots of treats. The key season for chocolate sales in the United States is Halloween. Candy sales last Halloween were more than $900 million, up 8 percent from the previous year, according to the president of the Chocolate Manufacturers Association. Overall last year, the American people consumed more than 3.1 billion pounds of chocolate, up 3.2 percent from 1995.

GREAT GRAIN: September is National Rice Month. A major grain throughout the world, rice evolved from wild grasses found in Asia and Indonesia. Rice symbolizes happiness, nourishment and fertility. Rice arrived in the New World in 1693 by accident. A ship en route to Madagascar was sidelined in South Carolina, and its captain traded bags of rice to pay for emergency supplies. There are more than 7,000 types of rice.

SLEUTHFUL SPOONS: Mystery sleuth J.B. Fletcher has been relegated to rerun land, but fans of Angela Lansbury's long-running TV show can clue in to more than 350 recipes in ``The Murder, She Wrote Cookbook'' (Chicago Review Press, $16.95). Recipes from the show's cast and crew include Jessica's cheesecake from Lansbury, artichoke pie from Ron ``Sheriff Metzger'' Masak, creamy celery casserole from studio grip Moe Altamirano and sherried scallops from script supervisor Betty Abbott-Griffin. The contributors are donating the book's proceeds to Aid for AIDS.

BEST BUY: Pear season is upon us. Creamy, sweet Boscs are in stores now. Look for slightly spicy yellow and red Anjous and chubby, supersweet Comice pears this month. A legendary fruit, the pear was so revered it often was presented to royalty as a gift. Pears sold at market are picked before they're ripe. Look for large, unblemished fruit that's firm, but not rock-hard. To ripen at home, place pears in a paper bag with a few holes and place in a cool, dark spot for a day or two.

GIFT IDEA: Sarabeth Levine of Sarabeth's Kitchen, whose wonderful muffins and other breakfast foods are practically legendary in New York, is introducing a Preserve-of-the-Month club. The distinctive jams and preserves come in flavors like cherry plum, strawberry peach and the classic orange-apricot marmalade. Recipes and serving tips will accompany each of the 12 gift boxes, which contain an 18-ounce jar of preserves. The jams are made with hand-cut fruits and contain no artificial preservatives, thickeners or additives. The cost for a year's membership is $150, which includes shipping and handling. For information, call [phone].

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Photo: (1--Color) no caption (Newman's Own Roasted Garlic & Red and Green Peppers pasta sauce)

(2--Color) no caption (Cookbook cover - KIDS COOKING)

(3--Color) no caption (Cookbook cover - The Murder, She Wrote Cookbook)