GOOD TASTES COME INTO THEIR NEW HOME.

During a recent trip to Valencia, we stopped in the new HomeGoods store and were pleasantly surprised with many of the offerings. The food department was small but filled with a treasure trove of interesting and offbeat items like Roasted Sweet Chipotle Hot Sauce ($2.99 per 5-ounce bottle), Crunchy Caramel Glazed Pecans ($9.99 per 12-ounce can) and Veracruz Spicy Nut Mix ($5.99 per 13-ounce can), all under the Frontera label (from Chef Rick Bayless of Frontera Grill in Chicago); Jamaican Blue Mountain Coffee, Hazelnut flavor ($7.99 a pound); and Cupper's Choice Bavarian Chocolate coffee ($6.99 a pound). We saw lots of biscotti, specialty cookies, salsas and many other food items as well - and all appeared to be at discounted prices.

The day we visited, the store also had lots of decorative spring items, baskets, dishes, etc. In addition, there were numerous pots, pans, housewares, festive serving dishes, glasses, barware and kitchen items. We picked up a distinctive Oneida stainless-steel jar opener that was geared to open jars of a variety of sizes (it really worked, as opposed to some of the flimsy ones that are useless). We spied lots of dish towels, linens, assorted bedding, artificial flowers and foliage, some furniture and other decorative items.

The place is not huge, but was easy to navigate and offered some good buys and low prices. Perhaps we shouldn't have been amazed because the concept is an offshoot of the TJX Cos., the empire encompassing Marshalls and T.J. Maxx. Now we're hoping one will open in the San Fernando Valley soon.

If you're in the vicinity, check it out. It's at the Promenade at Town Center, Magic Mountain and McBean parkways, [phone].

- Natalie Haughton

FREE SMOOTHIES

Jamba Juice is holding its second annual free smoothie celebration and will be giving out free 24-ounce fruit smoothies (in your choice of flavors) for specified time periods and days at stores in Southern California, April 16-20. In exchange, customers will be asked to donate to the American Cancer Society. Last year more than $150,000 was raised.

Here's a sampling of stores and hours (visit www.jambajuice.com for more locations and times): Burbank (Victory and Empire), April 17, 6 to 10 a.m.; Northridge (Plummer Street), April 19, 6:30 to 10 a.m.; Northridge (Devonshire Street), April 20, 7:30 to 10 a.m.; Sherman Oaks, Tuesday, 7 to 10 a.m.; Studio City (12265 Ventura Blvd.), April 18, 6:30 to 10 a.m.; Tarzana, April 18, 7 to 10 a.m.; Encino (two locations), April 20, 7:30 to 10 a.m.

- N.H.

NEW: Chef Wolfgang Puck has partnered with ConAgra Foods to create a new collection of real wood-fired frozen pizzas. They're available in supermarket freezer sections in 8- and 11-inch-diameter sizes in six varieties - Italian Sausage and Pepperoni With Barbecue Sauce, Barbecue Style Chicken, Spicy Grilled Chicken, Primavera Vegetable, Four Cheese and Pesto, and Thai Style Chicken - with suggested retail of $6.49 (small) to $8.99 (large).

We were only able to locate two flavors at our local market (no chicken or vegetable) and tried the Four Cheese and Pesto. Tasters gave it a thumbs up, noting that the crust was good and topping was plentiful. These replace the other Puck frozen pizzas (not produced by ConAgra) that you may have been eating for years. A little secret: We spotted one flavor of the new pizzas at Costco.

- N.H.

NORTHRIDGE MARKET REOPENS: The Farmers Market and Family Festival reopens at Northridge Fashion Center (Tampa Avenue parking lot near Macy's and Borders Books) at 5 tonight. To kick off the festivities, children are invited to visit a playland filled with Legos and attend a Parachute Express concert at 7 p.m.

The market will be open each Wednesday from 5 to 10 p.m. through Oct. 23. More than 30 California farmers will offer seasonal produce and fresh flowers. In addition to children's rides, a petting zoo and other activities will be available weekly.

- N.H.

DINING OUT: As the third Indian restaurant in a row to inhabit a rear corner mini-mall space in Granada Hills, Raj Mahal hopes superior-quality ingredients will help it develop a devoted local clientele.

Realizing the wide range of appetites for Indian fare, the Raj Mahal kitchen prepares chicken ($10.95), beef and lamb ($11.95) curries from very mild (korma) to very hot (vindaloo).

All the popular tandoor (clay oven) dishes are featured, running in price from sheek kebab (spiced minced meat on skewers, $10.95) to king prawn tandoori ($18.95).

Raj Mahal cooks familiar appetizers like onion bhaji ($1.95), Indian onion rings made from onion dipped in garbanzo bean flour batter, to samosas ($2 each), turnovers stuffed with peas and potato or ground meat.

Sliced tandoor chicken joins a green salad ($4.95) for another starter and regular soups are a lentil (daal) recipe ($1.90) and the traditional mulligatawny soup ($2).

Noticeably available here are the iron-pot and skillet-cooked karahi and balti dishes that are favored in Britain and some really fiery hot curries listed under the name ``volcano.''

Raj Mahal is located at 16205 Devonshire Blvd., Granada Hills. Information: [phone].

- Larry Lipson

CAPTION(S):

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Photo:

(1) HomeGoods store in Valencia offers an array of dishes, housewares and food items at discounted prices.

(2) no caption (PUCK pizza)