Review: Marie Callender's - Chicken and Dumplings Soup

Marie Callender's Chicken and Dumplings Soup features chunks of chicken thighs and herbed spatzle dumplings with celery, peas, and corn in a thick chicken broth.

A 15-ounce can is normally about $2.99 at the supermarket.

News: Applebee's - Two New Under 550 Calorie Meals

Applebee's adds two new entrees to their "Unbelievably Great Tasting & Under 550 Calories" menu (yes, that's what they call it; they even trademarked it) with the new Zesty Roma Chicken & Shrimp and Lemon Parmesan Shrimp.

Zesty Roma Chicken & Shrimp features a grilled chicken breast, blackened shrimp, and parmesan cheese served on top of a hash of red potatoes, zucchini, red onions, Roma tomatoes, basil, and peppers with a zesty tomato sauce.

Review: Subway's Creamy Sriracha Vs. Regular Sriracha

Subway's Creamy Sriracha sauce is something they're testing out here in southern California. I tried it out on a Chipotle Chicken & Cheese sub (with bell peppers, provolone cheese, and onions on flatbread) and compared it to the real thing.

The sub cost me $5 since it's the Featured $5 Footlong this month and I asked for the Creamy Sriracha in substitution for the Chipotle Southwest sauce.

News: Starbucks Unveils $1 Reusable Cup

Starbucks now offers new reusable, recyclable plastic cups for $1 in an effort to reduce their environmental impact on waste from disposable paper cups. The new cups are made to look like Starbucks white paper cups except with small print indicating that they are "Reusable. Recyclable. Re-enjoyable."

Starbucks' 10-cent discount for bringing in your own cup, tumbler, or mug applies to these plastic cups as well. Additionally, they'll rinse your reusable cup with boiling water before filling it with whichever coffee drink you bought.

News: Dickey's Barbecue - $2 Big Barbecue Chicken Sandwich Mondays

Dickey's Barbecue, the biggest barbecue chain in the U.S., is offering their Big Barbecue Chicken Sandwiches for $2 on every Monday through the end of February.

The sandwich features marinated chicken breast smothered with barbecue sauce with pickles and onions on a buttery toasted bun. The sandwich normally sells for about $5 varying with location.

Frozen Friday: Trader Joe's - Beef Taquitos

Trader Joe's (or Jose's on the package) Beef Taquitos features 10 corn tortillas hand-rolled around a filling of shredded beef.

For $3.99, you get 18 ounces (a little over a pound) of frozen Mexican food.

News: Jamba Juice - $2 Smoothies for Limited Time

Jamba Juice is looking to get your new year's resolutions going (well, if they involve drinking smoothies anyway) with a deal for $2 smoothies that runs through Sunday, January 13, 2013.

Around the World: Starbucks To Enter Vietnam Market; Starbucks Cafe Sua Da Anyone?

Starbucks recently announced plans to enter the Vietnam market by opening the first Starbucks in Ho Chi Minh City in early February of 2013, expanding their reach to 12 countries across Asia.

News: Subway Tests Sriracha Sauce

Subway is testing a new "Creamy Sriracha Sauce" in at least a few stores in southern California as well as Florida. Sriracha is a Thai hot sauce that's popular in Thai and Vietnamese cuisine where it's most often used as a dipping sauce or as a condiment for Vietnamese pho (beef noodle soup).

However, it's gained popularity and use in recent years in the culinary community. It was even named the "Ingredient of the Year" for 2010 by Bon Appetit. Here's a hilarious comic strip from The Oatmeal regarding the use of Sriracha.

Review: Burger King - Chicken Nuggets

Burger King's new Chicken Nuggets look an awful lot like McDonald's Chicken McNuggets. Like the previous version, they're made of white meat chicken dipped in a "crispy tempura-style batter" and are meant to be crispier than before.

I picked up a 10-piece order for $2.99. There was also a 20-piece on the menu at $4.99.

Around the World: Wendy's Japan Celebrates Anniversary with the Prestige Truffle Cream Burger

Wendy's Japan celebrates a year of of their re-entry into the Japanese market with the addition of the new, limited-time Prestige Truffle Cream burger as part of their Japan Premium line.

The burger features a truffle cream and a mushroom Madeira sauce along with a spring mix atop a single or double beef patty.

News: Starbucks Switches to Steel Cut Oatmeal Sorta

Starbucks now features steel cut oatmeal blended with rolled oats for a heartier texture in new Hearty Blueberry Oatmeal. The new blend is topped with fresh blueberries, a fruit, nut, and seed medley, and agave syrup. You have to let it steep for 5 minutes before it's ready.

Steel cut oatmeal is also now in the mix for Starbucks Perfect Oatmeal, the addition is accompanied by a name change to "Starbucks Classic Oatmeal." This version of oatmeal comes topped with brown sugar, dried fruits, and nuts.