GOOD TASTES.

New Candy Snack

For a quick pick-me-up snack, Nestle has introduced Stixx, a combination of crispy wafer, creme filling, chocolate and candy bits. Fashioned like sticks, the wafers are available in three flavors Butterfinger (milk-chocolate-covered wafer with Butterfinger candy creme), Nestle Crunch (milk-chocolate-covered wafer with chocolate creme) and Nestle Crunch Dark (dark-chocolate-covered wafer with dark chocolate creme). Each 3.64-ounce package contains six individually wrapped candy sticks with 90 calories each and 4 to 5 grams fat (depending on flavor). We favored the Butterfinger, followed by the dark chocolate Nestle but some who sampled them liked the milk chocolate version. The Stixxs aren't bad (a good snack to keep in your desk drawer at work), but I'd rather have a high-quality piece of chocolate any day or even some other kinds of store-bought candy. Suggested retail price is $1.99 per package. Look for them at convenience, drug and grocery stores.

GRAND OPENING

Dream Dinners, West Hills, a franchise dinner assembly store, is having a grand opening party tonight, 5 to 7:30 p.m. at 8236 Fallbrook Ave. [phone]. Consumers will have a chance to sample some of the dinner creations they can make for their family and friends when they attend a future meal assembly session. The store will officially open Thursday. It joins other locations in Santa Clarita, Granada Hills, Burbank and Pasadena.The ever-growing dinnertime solution/concept offered by the store eliminates menu planning, shopping, prep-work and clean-up, by moving the meal assembly process out of consumers' kitchens into specially equipped stores which provides all the food supplies (fresh, raw ingredients), disposable containers, etc. The store shops, chops and cleans up. Consumers make reservations (at various evening and weekend times) to assemble six meals for $130 (in one hour) or 12 meals for $230 (each making four to six servings) in two hours (call the local store or go to www.dreamdinners.com). Consumers can select meals from 14 offered and can make them all different or make two of one meal, if desired. Among the offerings, which change periodically, are lemon chicken piccata, mandarin glazed tilapia, chicken enchiladas, flank steak, bacon and Swiss cheese quiche. The assembled uncooked meals are then taken home, frozen (from three to five months), thawed and cooked according to label directions. The cost breaks down to $4 or less per person per serving and about 300 to 400 calories. Founded in 2002 in Washington, there are now more than 160 dinner assembly line concept stores in 31 states.

NEW NEWMAN'S

Two new salad dressings have been added to the Newman's Own line. They include a Three Cheese Balsamic with Asiago, Romano and Parmesan cheeses along with a Light Sun Dried Tomato dressing (with 66 percent less fat and 40 percent fewer calories than regular dressing). Both are packaged in 16-ounce bottles.

The regular balsamic contains 100 calories and 11 grams fat per 2-tablespoon serving while the lightened up sun-dried tomato has 60 calories and 4 grams fat in the same size serving.

The sun dried tomato dressing is a winner and I'd definitely buy it. Although the new balsamic is good and cheesy, I'm a fan of Newman's Own "lighten up'' line of dressings.

My favorite to date has been the Light Honey Mustard. It's great on baked potatoes, as a dipping sauce for grilled chicken or steak and of course fabulous on salads. The new sun dried tomato just may give it a run for the money and share refrigerator space.Look for the new dressings at supermarkets with a suggested retail price of $3.69 per bottle.

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(1 -- 2 -- color) no caption (Nestle's Stixx)

(3 -- color) no caption (Dream Dinners)

(4 -- 5 -- color) no caption (Newman's Own salad dressing)