News: Starbucks Tests Caramel Flan Latte

Starbucks is testing a new Caramel Flan Latte in select locations across the U.S.

The test drink features the standard espresso and steamed milk of their lattes along with the addition of flan syrup, topped with caramel-flavored whipped cream and finished with a drizzle of caramel flan-flavored syrup. The drink is also available iced and as a Frappuccino.

News: Kashi - Two New Soft n' Chewy Bars

Kashi introduces two new flavors to their line of Soft n' Chewy Bars: Berry Muffin and Apple Cobbler. The selling point of the bars is that over a third of each bar is made with fruits and vegetables along with the brand's signature blend of 7 whole grains. The bars are a good source of fiber and are free of artificial preservatives and ingredients.

Apple Cobbler bars offer apples with a touch of cinnamon with some pumpkin thrown in for good measure.

Frozen Friday: Fresh and Easy - Ancho Chili Chicken with Cilantro Rice

Fresh and Easy's Ancho Chili Chicken with Cilantro Rice features roasted white meat chicken over cilantro rice with tomato sauce, corn, black beans, and pepper.

It comes in a 10-ounce box and, like most Fresh and Easy brand frozen entrees, it sells for $1.99 each.

News: Quiznos - Two Subs for Your New Year's Resolutions or Lack Thereof

Quiznos returns two limited time subs to help you out with your New Year's resolution (if your resolution is to eat less calories anyway) or lack thereof. The offered subs are the Honey Bourbon Chicken Sandwich, which starts at under 400 calories for a small sub, and the Steakhouse Beef Dip Sandwich, which comes in at 540 calories for a small sub.

News: Arby's - New Chocolate Molten Lava Cake

Arby's offers chocolate cake as a dessert option for a limited time with the new Chocolate Molten Lava Cake. It consists of warm chocolate cake filled with warm liquid chocolate and topped with cocoa crumbles.

The suggested retail per cake is $1.99. If you're angling to try it, Arby's is running a promotion where you can get a printable 50% off coupon good only on Tueday, January 15th, 2013 from their website at: http://arbys.com/hatday.html.

Review: Taco Bell - Spicy Mini Quesadilla

Taco Bell's Spicy Mini Quesadilla is something they're currently trying out as part of their $1 Cravings value menu test.

It's made with a small flour tortilla (looks like the same they use for a Soft Taco), a shredded 3-cheese blend, chipotle sauce, and marinated white meat chicken. Like the rest of the $1 Cravings menu, it costs a buck.

Around the World: Perhaps the World's Cutest Donuts

There's a donut shop out in Japan called Ikumimama that hand-makes donuts with natural ingredients and smiles (literally and metaphorically).

Normally, that's not all that notable until you see this on their website:

News: Mimi's Cafe - New All-You-Can-Eat Lunch Special

Mimi's Cafe, the French-inspired bistro chain, is offering an "all-you-can-eat" lunch special all January long.

Similar to The Olive Garden, the offer includes unlimited soup and salad as well as a single free Mimi's muffins for $6.99.

Available soup options include Corn Chowder, French Onion, Roasted Tomato & Basil Bisque, and the soup of the day.

News: McDonald's Testing New Steak and Egg Burrito

Falling behind bacon and sausage as the other other breakfast meat, steak has now and again found its way onto the McDonald's breakfast menu. This time around McDonald's is testing a new, limited-time Steak and Egg Burrito to the Northeast U.S.

The Steak and Egg Burrito has been available in the Northeast since December and is essentially the same as a Sausage and Egg Burrito except with steak instead of sausage. Specifically, it's filled with actual pieces of steak (and not steak patty like the Steak and Egg McMuffin test), peppers, onions, scrambled eggs, American cheese, and salsa roja (i.e. red sauce).

Review: Starbucks - Vanilla Spice Latte

Starbucks' new Vanilla Spice Latte features espresso combined with steamed milk, vanilla syrup, cardamon, and spices, topped with whipped cream, crushed vanilla bean (looks like pepper!), and sugar.

I paid $3.75 for a 12-ounce Tall.

News: Dunkin' Donuts - New Dark Hot Chocolate and French Toast Bagel

Dunkin' Donuts offers new Dark Hot Chocolate and French Toast Bagels at their stores nationwide to start off this year.

Dark Hot Chocolate is a permanent addition to the menu and basically adds the richer flavor of dark chocolate to Dunkin's existing Hot Chocolate.

News: Jamba Juice - New Kid's Meals

Jamba Juice now offers kid's meals for the first time, taxing their name as a prefix and calling them "Jamba Kid's Meals". The better-for-you brand touts that each meal "contains two and one-half servings of fruits and/or vegetables, a serving of whole grains, and provides an excellent source of protein."

Each kid's meal includes a 9.5-ounce smoothie paired with a child-friendly food choice. Each smoothie has no added sugar and are made from only fruit and juice except for the Berry Beet It smoothie, which also contains vegetables.