News: Taco Bell - New XXL Grilled Stuft Burrito

Taco Bell's newest, limited-time "abundant value" item on the menu is the XXL Grilled Stuft Burrito is offered with your choice of ground beef, chicken, are steak (chicken and steak cost more) and features their largest burrito so far filled with their three cheese blend (cheddar, pepper jack, and mozzarella), seasoned rice, refried beans, reduced-fat sour cream, guacamole, avocado ranch, and fiesta salsa wrapped in a flour tortilla and grilled.

Review: Jamba Juice - Magnificent Mango Pineapple Whirl'ns Frozen Yogurt

Jamba Juice recently extended their test of their Whirl'ns frozen yogurt line to southern California. Whirl'ns are so named because they "whirl'n" fruit into your frozen yogurt creating a frozen yogurt with bits of fruit blended in. I recently popped in and picked up a small 6-ounce Magnificent Mango Pineapple Whirl'ns topped with sliced almonds which features bits of mango and pineapple blended into original tart frozen yogurt.

Whirl'ns are available at $3.50 for a 6-ounce small with one topping and $5.50 for a 10-ounce large with one topping.

News: Arby's - New 'Shroom & Swiss

New to the southern California market and with limited availability regionally, Arby's is serving up a 'Shroom & Swiss roast beef sandwich featuring their trademark very-thin-sliced roast beef with roast seasoning, swiss cheese, crispy fried onions, sliced mushrooms, and a savory spread on a toasted specialty roll.

The sandwich is offered for $3.59.

Review: McDonald's Peach Pie

McDonald's Peach Pie is a new limited-time menu item being offered at only some McDonald's restaurants this summer (confirmed locations in southern California and in Pennsylvania).

They're available for 69 cents each for two for $1.00.

Review: Magnum - Double Caramel Ice Cream Bar

New Magnum Double Caramel ice cream bars come in a box of three and feature vanilla ice cream dipped in a chocolatey coating, then a caramel sauce, and finally Belgium milk chocolate.

The retail price for a box is about $3.99 but I've seen them on sale in the $2.00 to $3.00 range.

News: Taco Bell - 99 Cent Crunchwrap Supreme until June 18th

Taco Bell is cutting Crunch Wrap Supreme fans a break this summer with 99 Cent Crunchwrap Supremes (limit 2 per person, per visit) through this Saturday June 18th, 2011.

Crunchwrap Supremes normally go for around $2.39.

I know some of you are thinking, "Why not the Chalupa?!" but hey, cheap is cheap.

International Weekend: Coppenrath - Classic Granzer Ringe

This week's International Weekend products hails from Germany: Coppenrath's Classic Granzer Ringe which is basically a ridge ringed shortbread cookie.

I picked up a 400g package for $2.99.

Frozen Friday: California Pizza Kitchen - BBQ Chicken Crispy Thin Crust Pizza

California Pizza Kitchen's frozen BBQ Chicken Crispy Thin Crust Pizza brings their trademark barbecue chicken flavor home and features a crispy thin crust pizza topped with barbecue sauce, white meat chicken, reduced fat mozzarella cheese, smoked gouda cheese, red onions, and cilantro.

It's available as a 6-ounce individual pizza for a regular price of around $3.79.

Review: McDonald's New Chicken McNugget Sauces

McDonald's new Chicken McNugget Sauces give you a few more options to dunk your McNuggets in if you so choose. The "new" sauces are Creamy Ranch, Honey Mustard, Sweet Chili, and Spicy Buffalo.

News: McDonald's - New Peach Pie

Select McDonald's restaurants have worked a limited-time Peach Pie onto the menu this summer.

Similar to their ubiquitous Baked Apple Pie, the Peach Pie features the same crust but with a peach filling. They're available for 69 cents each or two for $1.00.

You're going to want to call ahead to check availability of this one as not all McDonald's are carrying them.

Nutritional info not available.

News: Baskin-Robbins - Toffee Pecan Crunch - June 2011 Flavor of the Month

Baskin-Robbins' featured flavor for the month of June 2011 is Toffee Pecan Crunch featuring chocolate ice cream with a caramel ribbon mixed with the crunch of pecans and Heath bar pieces.

Toffee Pecan Crunch ice cream is available nationwide during the month of June by the scoop (in a cup or cone), in a sundae or in hand-packed pints, quarts and half-gallons.

Review: Wendy's - Crispy Chicken Caesar Wrap

A test item available at some Wendy's restaurants, the Crispy Chicken Caesar Wrap is a mix of a halved value crispy chicken patty, Asiago cheese, Caesar dressing and lettuce wrapped up in a flour tortilla.

It's on the value menu for 99 cents at my local Wendy's.

Review: McDonald's - Rolo McFlurry

McDonald's Rolo McFlurry is a new, limited-time frosty dessert featuring Rolo-shaped milk chocolate morsels and caramel syrup blended in McFlurry fashion in McDonald's vanilla soft serve.

I picked up a snack-sized portion for $1.79.

Review: Nabisco - Blueberry Brown Sugar Newtons Fruit Thins

Nabisco's new Blueberry Brown Newton Fruit Thins are a crispy take on the run-of-the-mill Newton and also comes in three other flavors: Cranberry Citrus Oat, Chocolate Raspberry, and Fig and Honey.

A 10.5-ounce package retails for around $4.00 which means a sale price range of $2.00 to $3.00.

News: Haagen-Dazs - New Flavors for 2011

The folks at Haagen-Dazs are out with a slew of new flavors and are branching off into the sundae cone business.

The new flavors are (like wine, Haagen-Dazs lists flavor profiles):

Caramel Apple Pie: "Apple ice cream and diced fresh apple swirled with caramel and chunks of flakey pie crust. Flavor Top Notes: Ripe apple, buttery cinnamon. Flavor Finish Notes: Tart, sweet apple, smooth caramel."

Blueberry Crumble: "Dense blueberry ice cream with rich, buttery cobbler crust crumbles. Flavor Top Notes: Bright, ripe blueberries. Flavor Finish Notes: Sweet cream, tart fruit, buttery cobbler crust."

News: Quiznos - New Southern BBQ Pulled Pork

Starting this month, Quiznos is offering a new Southern BBQ Pulled Pork sandwich with pulled pork, mozzarella, Cheddar, pickles, yellow mustard, and a smoky BBQ sauce for a limited-time promotion price of $5 for a large (discounted from $7.99)

On the more health-minded side of things, Quiznos is also offering a whole grain wrap option for any of their subs as well as two new, limited-time Farmer's Market salads: the Harvest Chicken Salad and Caprese Chicken Salad.

The Harvest Chicken lists honey-Dijon chicken, grapes, apples, dried cranberries, cucumbers, tomatoes, pumpkin seeds with acai vinaigrette dressing among its ingredients while the Caprese features chicken, fresh mozzarella, basil pesto, tomatoes, and an Italian cheese blend.

News: McDonald's - New Rolo McFlurry

McDonald's has a new McFlurry flavor on tap for a limited time this summer with the new Rolo McFlurry which features McDonald's soft serve mixed with chunks of milk chocolate with caramel syrup.

The resultant blend of chocolate, caramel and vanilla costs a bit more than a McDonald's sundae with similar flavors at $1.79 for the snack size.

If you fancy a try, you might want to check if your local McDonald's before you go as price and participation may vary.

Review: YoCrunch - Strawberry Yogurt with Granola

YoCrunch Strawberry Yogurt with Granola features strawberry flavored low-fat yogurt with an ample cap of crunchy granola. An 8-ounce cup costs about 89 cents.

International Weekend: Dora3 Apricot Jam Croissant

This week's International Weekend product comes from Italy via overstock/closeout chain Big Lots which now has an international foods aisle. Dora3 Apricot Jam Croissants come in a pack of 6 individually-wrapped croissants filled with apricot jam for $2.50.

Frozen Friday: Hungry-Man - Honey Bourbon Chicken Strips

Hungry-Man's Honey Bourbon Chicken Strips are a new addition to their line of "Pub Favorites" which some of my readers like to comment as not resembling any dishes they've seen served at their frequented pubs. Regardless, the new meal toes the line of standard frozen dinners with mashed potatoes, corn, and chicken. Notable distinguishing features are the honey bourbon sauce and the blend of white and yellow corn.

Retail price for a Hungry-Man tends to be around $3.69 or around $2.00 on sale.

News: Dunkin' Donuts - New Frozen Hot Chocolate

With the summer heat set to roll in, Dunkin' Donuts is hoping to entice you with their new Frozen Hot Chocolate i.e. a chocolate milk ice slush topped with whipped cream.

I guess you can also think of it as a chocolate milk Coolatta.

The drink promises "the rich, comforting taste of Dunkin' Donuts' classic hot chocolate in an icy cold beverage" and is available for a limited time at participating Dunkin' locations.

Review: Starbucks - Bacon, Gouda Cheese & Egg Frittata on an Artisan Roll

Starbucks Bacon, Gouda Cheese & Egg Frittata on an Artisan Roll features bacon, Parmesan frittata, and aged Gouda cheese on an artisan roll for $3.25.

News: McDonald's - Four New McNugget Dipping Sauces

McDonald's is pushing four "new" McNugget dipping sauces this summer: Creamy Ranch, Sweet Chili, Spicy Buffalo, and Honey Mustard.

Okay, they're not really "new" per se, they're more like new for Chicken McNuggets. I'm pretty sure that Creamy Ranch, Spicy Buffalo, and Honey Mustard are just re-packaged versions of McDonald's Chicken Select Sauces and Sweet Chili is a re-introduction of the flavor first seen during the Vancouver Olympics.

Review: Wendy's - Berry Almond Chicken Salad

Wendy's Berry Almond Chicken Salad is a new seasonal item for this summer featuring fresh blueberries and strawberries on a bed of fresh-chopped romaine and iceberg lettuce and spring mix joined by sliced almonds, shaved Asiago cheese, grilled chicken breast, and a fat-free raspberry vinaigrette.

I picked up a full-sized portion for $6.49. A half-sized portion is also available for $4.49.

News: Dunkin' Donuts - Free Donut with Beverage Purchase on National Donut Day

Participating U.S. Dunkin’ Donuts stores are also celebrating National Donut Day this Friday, June 3, 2011, by offering customers a Free Donut of their choice with any beverage purchase (excluding bottled cooler beverages).

The offer is valid all day on 6/3/11. Store hours may vary by location. While supplies last. Limited time offer. Price and participation may vary.

Dunkin' Donut Store Locator

News: Krispy Kreme - Free Donut on National Doughnut Day

This Friday, June 3, Krispy Kreme will be handing out one Free Krispy Kreme Doughnut to each visitor in celebration of National Doughnut Day.

The free doughnut offer is good for one doughnut of any variety per customer at participating U.S. Krispy Kreme retail shops.

I took advantage of this last year and got an unglazed donut from fresh off the conveyor. It was super hot! I had to keep passing it back and forth between my hands to keep from getting burnt. But mmm... fresh donut...

Krispy Kreme Store Locator

News: Taco Bell - New Pina Colada Frutista Freeze

If you like Pina Coladas... Taco Bell aims to please this summer with their latest limited-time Pina Colada Frutista Freeze available in two flavors: Pina Colada and Strawberry Pina Colada and available in 16-ounce and 20-ounce cups for around $2 varying with locale.

Pina Colada comes tops with a lime wedge whereas Strawberry Pina Colada is topped with strawberries in syrup.

News: Nabisco - New Chips Ahoy! Chewy Gooey

The folks at Nabisco have come up with a new Chips Ahoy! Chewy Gooey cookies. The new cookies are available nationwide and come in two flavors: Chocofudge and Megafudge.

Both feature a creamy fudge center but with different soft-baked cookies encasing it and come in 10-ounce packages for around $3.29.

Chocofudge consists of a chocolate chip cookie filled with a layer of fudge in the center.

Megafudge is a bit more novel with a brownie-like chocolate chip cookie with white chocolate chips and also has a layer of fudge in the center.

Review: McDonald's - Iced Chocolate

Besides Hot Chocolate, McDonald's also sells Iced Chocolate as a McCafe menu item. Iced Chocolate probably more commonly known as your run-of-the-mill chocolate milk.

It's $1.99 for 16-ounce small.

Review: Starbucks - Vanilla Creme Frappuccino

Starbucks' Vanilla Creme Frappuccino is a frosty beverage for the non-caffeinated set and is pretty much a blend of vanilla syrup, milk, and ice.

My local Starbucks had this at $3.75 for a 16-ounce Grande.

Review: Mountain Dew Pitch Black

For a limited time, Mountain Dew returns their Pitch Black flavor as part of their "Back by Popular DEWmand" initiative where consumer response spurred the return of the flavor for a limited time.

I received two 20-ounce bottles of Pitch Black from PepsiCo for review but they normally cost about $1.69 in stores. They're not being stocked in all stores, so I'd call ahead if you're set on getting some.

International Weekend: Crich - Cappuccino Wafers

Crich "Wafers al Cappuccino" or Cappuccino Wafers come from Italy and feature multiple layers of light wafers and cappuccino creme. I found these at a local supermarket for only 99 cents(!) for an 250g or 8.8-ounce bag.

Frozen Friday: Stouffer's - Steak & Swiss Melt with Broccoli Cheddar Soup

Stouffer's fairly recently introduced some sandwich and soup options to their line of frozen foods calling it their "Corner Bistro" meals. The Steak & Swiss Melt with Broccoli Cheddar Soup features an herb-topped focaccia bread filled with steak, onions, and mushrooms in a Swiss cheese sauce paired with a broccoli Cheddar soup.

The price is about the same as other Stouffer's frozen meals at $3.99 or about $2.00 to $2.50 on sale.

News: Wendy's - New Berry Almond Chicken Salad

New at Wendy's for the summer, the Berry Almond Chicken Salad features fresh blueberries and strawberries atop a bed of fresh-chopped romaine and iceberg lettuce mixed with a spring mix joined by almonds, shaved Asiago cheese, grilled chicken breast and a fat-free raspberry vinaigrette.

An entrée-sized salad is priced at $6.49 or $5.29 without chicken, and half sizes go for $4.49 or $3.89 without chicken.

Review: Jell-O Temptations - Double Chocolate Pie

Jell-O Temptations are being marketed as indulgent relatively low-cal desserts for adults. Double Chocolate Pie is made with cocoa and features a layer of chocolate mousse atop a layer of chocolate pudding.

I've seen these on sale for about $2.50 with a normal price of $2.99.

Review: Panera Bread - Steak & White Cheddar Panini

Panera Bread's new Steak & White Cheddar Panini features seared top sirloin, caramelized onions, Vermont white Cheddar and horseradish spread served on French baguette.

It's one of the priciest items on the menu at $8.99 with your choice of a side.

News: Domino's - New Early Week Pick-Me-Up Deal

Domino's latest promotion is the Early Week Pick-Me-Up Deal. Good for the next month or so, Domino's Pizza is offering a large, 3-topping pizza for $7.99 but only on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday and only for carryout.

Deep dish and specialty pizzas are not included in the promotion.

News: Dunkin' Donuts - New Blueberry Waffle Breakfast Sandwich

Dunkin' Donuts recently brought back their popular Waffle Breakfast Sandwich but with a twist: the waffles are now blueberry waffles! Dunkin' Donuts' new Blueberry Waffle Breakfast Sandwich features egg, maple sausage and American cheese sandwich by two blueberry waffles.

The Blueberry Waffle Breakfast Sandwich is available for a limited time at participating Dunkin' Donuts restaurants nationwide for a suggested retail price of $2.99.

News: Papa John's - New Sausage Sensation Pizza

Papa John's newest specialty pizza is the Sausage Sensation Pizza featuring spicy Italian sausage, sweet sausage, smoked sausage, green and red peppers, and onions with Italian herb seasoning.

The pizza is available for a limited time at a promotional price of $11 for a large.

Review: New Jamba Fruit Refreshers

Left to Right: Pineapple, Mango, and Strawberry Lemonade

Jamba Juice's new summer Fruit Refreshers debut today but I got an earlier sneak peek and a 16-ounce sample of each new flavor yesterday courtesy of Jamba Juice. The new drinks feature coconut water to keep your hydrated and come in three flavors: Purely Pineapple, Strawberry Lemonade, and Tropical Mango.

A 16-ounce cup normally runs for $3.90 at my local Jamba.

Review: McDonald's - Cookies

McDonald's has three varieties of fresh-baked Cookies on tap for the snack minded at three for $1.

They cover three of the most common cookies with Oatmeal Raisin, Sugar, and Chocolate Chip.

Arby's Chicken Salad Taste-Off Winners

Sorry for the lateness but I finally picked the winners names out of the virtual hat (random number generator) and the winners of a $5 Arby's gift card each are:

Tazeen,
Brandon and
kolpin l

I'll be contacting the winners shortly for fulfillment and thank you everyone for participating.

For those of you wondering as to the final tally in the Arby's Chicken Salad Taste-Off, it came out to 8,820 votes for Arby’s version and 1,048 votes Subway’s version.

Review: Nabisco - Ritz Multigrain Garlic Herb Crackerfuls

New Ritz Multigrain Garlic Herb Crackerfuls feature 6 individually wrapped filled crackers for easy packing and snacking. Each filled cracker consists of two long rectangular multigrain crackers filled with a garlic herb cream-cheese-based filling.

I found these retailing at a local supermarket for $3.89 or around $2 on sale.

International Weekend: Arnott's Original Tim Tams

Arnott's Tim Tams are very popular chocolate cookies in Australia, where cookies are called "biscuits." An Original Tim Tam consists of two chocolate malted cookies sandwiching a light chocolate cream filling and coated with a layer of milk chocolate.

I don't know how much they cost. I got a couple of packages from my Australian uncle when he was visiting the States for business. A 200g package contains 11 Tim Tams.

Frozen Friday: DiGiorno - Cheese Stuffed Crust Pizza

This week's Frozen Friday brings us DiGiorno's new Cheese Stuffed Crust Pepperoni Pizza which brings stuffed crust pizza to the microwave.

An 8.5-ounce pizza sells for $3.99 at my local supermarket or around $2.00 to $2.50 on sale.

Review: Taco Bell - Beefy Melt Burrito

A familiar mash-up of various Taco Bell ingredients, Taco Bell's latest limited-time menu item, the Beefy Melt Burrito features seasoned ground beef, seasoned rice, their three cheese blend, and reduced-fat sour cream for an easy price of 99 cents.

Review: Frito Lay - Tostitos Hint of Pepper Jack Tortilla Chips

Tostitos Hint of Pepper Jack tortilla chips are stone-ground white corn tortilla chips seasoned with a bit of pepper jack flavor. A 13-ounce bag runs for a retail of about $3.99 which comes out to $2.00 to $3.00 on sale.

Review: Starbucks - Red Velvet Whoopie Pie

One of Starbucks' new Petites, the Red Velvet Whoopie Pie features two small red velvet cakes discs sandwiching a cream cheese frosting filling. As with all Starbucks' Petites you can purchase one for $1.50 or two for $2.50 (unless you live in Alaska or Hawaii where it costs more).

Review: Jack in the Box - Bourbon BBQ Steak Grilled Sandwich

Jack in the Box's Bourbon BBQ Steak Grilled Sandwich is their latest limited-time grilled sandwich offering and features strips of steak, grilled onions and melting cheese covered with Jack’s new Bourbon BBQ sauce and served on grilled artisan bread for $4.69.

News: Pizza Hut - Any Carryout Pizza for $10

Through June 4th, Pizza Hut is offering any carryout pizza (any size, any crust, any toppings) for $10.

The only limitations are no double toppings and an additional charge for stuffed crust.

Not a bad deal at all if you're willing to pick up a pizza instead of having it delivered.