News: Torani - New Chicken 'n Waffles Syrup

Following on the heels of their cult favorite, Bacon syrup (seen in Jack in the Box's Bacon Shake), Torani (the company that makes the syrups you see at most coffeehouses, ice cream shops, bars, etc.), is coming out with Chicken N' Waffles Syrup in April. (What?!)

The flavor is described as "combining the crispy vanilla deliciousness of a waffle with the salty and greasy notes of fried chicken and that lovely end note of sweet maple syrup."

Suggested uses for the syrup include: "Sazeracs, Ice Cream Sundaes, Old-Fashions, Cupcakes."

Review: Carl's Jr. - Southwest Patty Melt

The Carl's Jr. Southwest Patty Melt features a charbroiled beef patty (single, double, "Six Dollar Burger" style) with sliced jalapeños, grilled onions, Pepper Jack cheese, and a spicy Santa Fe sauce sandwiched by grilled sourdough bread.

I've actually never tried a "Six Dollar Burger" of any variety at Carl's Jr so I decided to pick one up on this occasion for $4.99 (the single version was selling for $2.99 and the double for a dollar more than that).

News: McDonald's - New Strawberry and Creme Pie

McDonald's is out with a new, limited-time Strawberry & Creme Pie. The pie features two side-by-side fillings of strawberries and vanilla-flavored creme.

The crust has a light dusting of sugar baked in as well as a sugar glaze finish. It's only available for a limited-time at participating locations.

I'd call ahead to check if you have a hankering for one of these.

News: Kashi - New Soft n' Chewy Bars

Kashi, best known for their natural food selections, is out with new Soft n' Chewy Bars which offer one half serving of fruits and one half serving of vegetables.

The new soft-baked bars come in one flavor: Banana Chocolate Chip, featuring the taste of banana bread paired with dark chocolate chips.

Of course, each bar features Kashi's signature blend of 7 whole grains and provides a half serving of fruit from apples and banana and a half serving of vegetables from pumpkin.

Neat! McDonald's Finland Puts Chips in Your Burger

Apparently McDonald's offered this in Finland before and now it's back: the Nacho Jr.

Something like throwing a small bag of tortilla chips in your McDonald's hamburger after a late night, the Nacho Jr. comes in three versions with varying patties(vegetarian, hamburger, or fried chicken) and is topped with tortilla (or "nacho") chips, lettuce, salsa, and sour cream.

No cheese! But still neat!

Review: Tostitos - Artisan Recipes - Fire-Roasted Chipotle Tortilla Chips

Tostitos Artisan Recipes Fire-Roasted Chipotle Tortilla Chips are a mouthful to say and feature a multi-grain (9 different grains) tortilla chip flavored with spicy chipotle peppers.

I picked up a 9.75-ounce bag on sale  for $3.00 but they typically retail for a little more at $3.99.

News: Starbucks - New Starbucks Refreshers in a Can

Starbucks is now offering a canned energy drink that's basically coffee/caffeine for the non-coffee drinking set with new Starbucks Refreshers.

The new drink gets its caffeine from green (unroasted coffee beans are green) coffee beans which means you get the caffeine but not the taste of coffee.

Instead, Starbucks Refreshers taste more like fruit juice blends and come in three fizzy flavors: Raspberry Pomegranate, Strawberry Lemonade, and Orange Melon.

Frozen Friday: Marie Callender's - Spaghetti with Meat Sauce

Marie Callender's frozen Spaghetti with Meat Sauce sets itself apart from similar frozen entrees with a slice of seasoned garlic bread.

I got this 15-ounce box for $2.50 but they typically go for around $4.49 at my local supermarket.

Neat! McDonald's Peru Crispy Chicken Family Meal

There's something about fried chicken in a bucket that speaks to me. It might be the fact that it's the perfect shape for cradling in one arm as you help yourself with the other.

But how about McDonald's fried chicken? While McDonald's several countries offers fried chicken, in Peru, they offer it in a family-sized bucket! Neat!

Review: Dunkin' Donuts - Mint Hot Chocolate

Dunkin' Donuts Mint Hot Chocolate offers the warm taste of hot chocolate flavored with mint.

I bought this drink in an airport as part of the combo. The menu was a bit kooky and prices are a bit inflated at U.S. airports but I paid $6.58 for a drink/sandwich combo. If you were to buy it in a normal Dunkin' it would probably cost you about $1.99 for a 14-ounce medium like the one I got.

News: Wendy's - New Spicy Guacamole Chicken Club

Starting tomorrow, Wendy's is debuting their new Spicy Guacamole Chicken Club at their locations nationwide (I'm keep wanting to spell "guacamole" as "guacomole" for some reason).

The sandwich takes a Spicy Chicken Fillet and tops it with a slice of spicy pepper jack cheese and balances out the heat with some creaminess in the form of ranch sauce and guac. Caught in-between the spicy and cream battle is the good old trio of bacon, lettuce, and tomato. As with the rest of Wendy's premium sandwiches (think $4.00 and up), it's served on a buttered and toasted bun.

Photo Gallery: Taco Bell's 50th Anniversary Celebration

Taco Bell celebrated their 50th Anniversary today at their Irvine headquarters and living as I do in the next county over, I was invited to partake of the festivities. Click on to see what was going on at the event.