News: Haagen-Dazs - Four New Gelato Flavors

Haagen-Dazs is expanding on their line of gelato with four new flavors: Caramelized Banana Chip, Tiramisu, Pistachio, and Pomegranate Swirl.

Review: Starbucks - Reduced-Fat Turkey Bacon & White Cheddar Classic Breakfast Sandwich

Starbucks' Reduced-Fat Turkey Bacon & White Cheddar Classic Breakfast Sandwich features reduced-fat turkey bacon, cage-free egg whites, and white Cheddar cheese on a multigrain English muffin.

I picked one up for $3.45.

News: Ben & Jerry's Unveils New Line of Core Ice Cream

Ben & Jerry's latest play is a new line of "Core" Ice Cream so-named because of the topping/sauce core that runs through the center of each pint and inspired by their Karamel Sutra flavor. While it's new to us in the States, the Core line has been available in the UK since 2012 (although with slightly different flavors).

News: Taco Bell to Roll Out Breakfast Nationally on March 27

Taco Bell today announced plans to roll out their breakfast menu (and the infamous Waffle Taco) nationally next month on March 27th.

Offering your typical breakfast staples with a Taco Bell-twist, the menu features 13 items including the Waffle Taco, the A.M. Crunchwrap (a particular favorite of mine), Cinnabon Delights (which are already available all day nationwide), Bacon Breakfast Burrito, Sausage, Steak and Eggs Breakfast Burrito, Bacon A.M. Grilled Taco, Sausage A.M. Grilled Taco, Sausage Flatbread Melt, Hash Browns (I tried these during testing), Premium Hot Coffee, and Tropicana Orange Juice.

Review: Jollibee's - Yum Burger with Cheese

Jolliebee's Yum Burger with Cheese features a beef patty with cheese and their "special burger dressing" on a soft burger bun. Jolliebee's is a fast food chain from the Philippines so you can consider it a Filipino take on American fast food.

It was $1.19 for one.

News: Frito-Lay - New Doritos Dinamita Fiery Habanero Rolled Tortilla Chips

Frito-Lay debuts some serious heat to their Doritos Dinamita rolled tortilla chips line with new Doritos Dinamita Fiery Habernero flavor.

Available nationwide starting this month, the new flavor is described as "habenero peppers with hints of chili and red peppers."

If that sounds hot enough for you, you'll find Doritos Dinamita Fiery Habernero rolled tortilla chips at retailers in select markets throughout the US.

News: New Cinnabon Air Freshener

Just in case you want your living room smelling like a bakery (or your kitchen during baking), Air Wick has partnered with Cinnabon to produce new Cinnabon Classic Cinnamon Roll fragrance.

Purporting to give off the aroma of "freshly baked, piping-hot Cinnabon cinnamon rolls," the new air freshener is available in scented oil refills and Freshmatic Ultra Automatic Spray refills and carries a suggested retail price of $4.99.

Review: LU - Pim's Orange Biscuits

Pim's Orange biscuits are a French brand's (LU) take on British Jaffa Cakes. Each biscuit/cookie features a disc-shaped base of sponge cake topped with a layer of orange-flavored jelly that's encased in a chocolaty coating.

A 5.29-oz package was $2.99 on sale.

News: Starbucks - New Blueberry Acai Ready-to-Drink Refresher

Starbucks recently announced that they improved the flavor of their Starbucks Ready-to-Drink Refreshers. Refreshers are green-coffee-based fizzy energy drinks.

Along with the updated formula, Starbucks has also added a new flavor: Blueberry Acai.

It looks like the new flavor replaces Orange Melon in the line up. Other Refresher flavors include Strawberry Lemonade and Raspberry Pomengranate.

News: Burger King - $2.99 Muffin Sandwich and Coffee Combo

Burger King is offering a limited-time $2.99 breakfast combo where you can get any English muffin sandwich and a small coffee for $2.99.

Burger King's muffin sandwiches include a choice of bacon, sausage, or ham plus a folded egg and American cheese on a toasted English muffin.

Frozen Friday: Ben & Jerry's - Pineapple Passionfruit Greek Frozen Yogurt

Ben & Jerry's Pineapple Passionfruit Greek Frozen Yogurt features pineapple Greek frozen yogurt with pineapple pieces and a passionfruit swirl.

I got a pint for $3.50 on sale.

News: 2014 Lenten Fish and Seafood Fastfood Round Up

Lenten season approaches and that means many-a-fast food chain has trotted out their seasonal fish offerings and deals.

Here's a handy round-up of the seafood (mostly fish) menu items you can find at some of the biggest fast food chains this year:

Around the World: KFC Hong Kong - New Lemon Fried Chicken

KFC Hong Kong adds their own twist on a popular local dish with new, limited-time Sweet Lemon Crispy Chicken.

Review: Taco Bell's New Fountain Drinks

Taco Bell recently introduced six new selections to their soda fountain machines: Manzanita Sol, Diet Mountain Dew Baja Blast, Mountain Dew Sangrita Blast, Brisk Mango Fiesta, Brisk Iced Tea & Lemon, and zero-calorie SoBe Lifewater Yumberry Pomegranate.

I decided to try them all...

News: Wienerschnitzel - New Cake Batter Dipped Cone

Wienerschnitzel is offering a new Cake Batter Dipped Cone for a limited time.

The dessert features a cone filled with vanilla soft serve dipping in yellow cake batter (or more likely, yellow cake batter-flavored coating) and rainbow sprinkles.

The suggested price is $1.29 for a small 3-oz cone and $1.89 for a regular 5-oz cone (may vary).

News: Taco Bell - New XXL Crispy Taco

Taco Bell follows up the return of XXL Nachos with the introduction of new XXL Crispy Tacos, which are set to debut next Thursday, February 27th.

Essentially a bigger version of Taco Bell's Crunchy Taco Supreme, the new XXL Crispy Taco features a double portion of steak, shredded chicken, or ground beef along with shredded lettuce, diced tomatoes, shredded cheddar cheese, avocado ranch sauce, and reduced fat sour cream in a new crispy shell.

Review: Starbucks - Spinach & Feta Breakfast Wrap

Starbucks' Spinach & Feta Breakfast Wrap features a wheat wrap filled with a cage-free egg white omelet, spinach, crumbled feta cheese, sundried tomato cream cheese, and roasted tomatoes.

I bought one for $3.25.

News: Sonic - New Honey Mustard & Swiss Chicken Sandwich

Sonic expands their chicken sandwich selection with the introduction of the new Honey Mustard & Swiss Chicken Sandwich as well as by bringing back the Asiago Caesar Chicken Club Sandwich.

The Honey Mustard & Swiss Chicken Sandwich features either a grilled or crispy chicken breast with lettuce, tomato, honey mustard sauce, and mild Swiss cheese on a whole-grain ciabatta bun.

News: Starbucks - New Sweet Receipt Promotion for $1 Baked Goods

Starbucks is trying a slightly different take on their occasional Treat Receipt promotion by offering it for baked goods instead of drinks.

Review: The Habit - Cheeseburger

The Habit is a fast food burger chain that started out in Santa Barbara, CA. Their Cheeseburger (or Charburger with Cheese) features a chargrilled beef patty, mayo, pickle, tomato, lettuce, and caramelized onions.

A Charburger goes for $2.95 and cheese costs an extra 50 cents for a grand total of $3.45.

News: Papa Murphy's - New Bake-at-Home Pan Pizza

Papa Murphy's now offers a new pan pizza for you to take-n-bake at home called "Fresh Pan Pizza."

The new crust is described as thick and buttery and is supposed to crisp up to a golden brown outside while remaining "light and airy" inside.

News: KFC - $3.99 Combo Meals

KFC is offering new $3.99 Combo Meals as the latest value play for your dollar.

There are four combos in all. Some come with a side and drink, while others just come with a drink. They are as follows:

Review: Subway - Flatizza

Subway's new Flatizza is a flatbread pizza offering from the sandwich chain. Each Flatizza features a square of flatbread, topped with marinara sauce, mozzarella cheese, and a number of topping combos.

I went with a Veggie and a Spicy Italian to cover the bases. They sell at a limited-time introductory price of $3.00 to $3.50 each or two for $5.

News: Krispy Kreme - New Coffee-Inspired Donuts

Krispy Kreme's latest limited-time rotation features new coffee-inspired donuts that they're calling the "Lotta Latte" donuts.

Offered at participating Krispy Kreme locations in both Canada and the US, there's two donuts: the Mocha Kreme Donut and the Caramel Coffee Kreme Donut.

News: McDonald's - Shamrock Shakes and Strawberry & Creme Pies Back for a Limited Time

It looks like Shamrock Shakes and Strawberry & Creme Pies are back at McDonald's for a limited time.

There doesn't appear to be a national campaign this time around, so it's likely the items are available at participating locations in select markets (I've been able to verify that they're available in the Southern California and New York Tri-state markets).

Review: Keebler - Simply Made Butter Cookies

Keebler's Simply Made Butter Cookies are part of their Simply Made line of cookies made with (mostly) simple ingredients you'd find at home rather than the laundry list of ingredients we've used to seeing.

A 10-ounce package was on sale for $2.99.

News: Baskin-Robbins Coming to Grocery Stores This Spring

Baskin-Robbins has partnered up with Boardwalk Frozen Treats to bring Baskin-Robbins ice cream and frozen treats to grocery stores here in the US starting this spring.

Around the World: Dunkin' Donuts India - New Stirr'accino

Over in India, Dunkin' Donut recently introduced a brewed coffee-espresso hybrid drink they're calling the Stirr'accino.

The Stirr'accino is poured into four separated layers that you can "stir" together before drinking.

Review: Mackintosh's Mack Toffee

I got Mackintosh's Mack Toffee (made by Nestle) because my brother was going to Canada and I wanted to request some new foods to try. I did a quick search for quintessential Canadian foods and they turned up so here we are.

These are only sold in Canada and a 170g bag was $3.29 CAN (~$3.00 US).

Around the World: McDonald's Canada Shows How Chicken McNuggets are Made

McDonald's Canada recently put up video footage giving a inside look of the factory of one of their suppliers to show how Chicken McNuggets are made.

The video was posted in response to a question asking, "What are legitimately in mcnuggets is there pink goop?"

News: Krispy Kreme - New Bottled Iced Coffee at Walmart

It looks like Krispy Kreme is set to challenge Starbucks' bottled Frappuccinos at the grocery store... or at least at Walmart where bottled versions in two flavors, Krispy Kreme Original Glazed Iced Coffee and Krispy Kreme Mocha Iced Coffee, are now available.

The coffees come in ready-to-drink 9.5-oz bottles (same size as Starbucks' bottled Frappuccinos) with a price of $1.98 each.

Review: Dairy Queen - Red Velvet Cake Blizzard

Dairy Queen's new, limited-time Red Velvet Cake Blizzard features a blend of vanilla soft serve, red velvet cake pieces, and cream cheese frosting.

$3.39 for a mini-sized cup (the price is slightly inflated since it was from the mall).

Giveaway Drawing - $5 Del Taco Gift Cards

Happy Turkey Day! Okay, it's Valentine's Day but I have three $5 Del Taco gift cards (courtesy of Del Taco) to try some of their new Turkey Tacos or whatever else you might feel like, so we're doing a giveaway drawing.

News: Sonic - $1 Hot Dogs on Presidents Day, February 17th

Sonic will be celebrating this upcoming Presidents Day by offering their All-American Dog and Chili Cheese Coney for $1 a piece.

The deal is only good this Monday, February 17th and only at participating Sonic restaurants.

News: Chick-fil-A Testing New Grilled Chicken

Chick-fil-A is in the midst of testing new grilled chicken as well as a new Grilled Chicken Sandwich as replacements for their current grilled chicken menu items.

According to an employee at one of the test locations, the new chicken features a lemon herb flavor, while the previous version was marinated in a pickle juice-based mix.

Review: Sonic - Red Velvet Molten Cake Sundae

Sonic's Red Velvet Molten Cake Sundae is this year's nod to Valentine's Day and features a red velvet bundt cake with a warm fudge center sitting on a layer of cheesecake filling and topped with ice cream, whipped topping, chocolate sauce, and a maraschino cherry.

The price tag was $4.49 but I received this one courtesy of Sonic.

Around the World: McDonald's Switzerland Offering Rolls of Cheese in Burgers

McDonald's Switzerland is running a cheese-focused limited-time menu with a French name: Les Grandes Envies de Fromage, which translates to "large cheese cravings." There are three burgers on the menu.

One of the burgers, the McSbrinz, features Sbrinz cheese, an AOP (a protected term of origin) Swiss cheese that sometimes comes curled up into rolled flutes. The three rolls of the distinctive looking cheese is joined by a Sbrinz sauce, lettuce, and a beef patty in a bakery roll.

News: Ben & Jerry's Celebrates 7 Years of Stephen Colbert's Americone Dream by Making it Non-GMO

Ben & Jerry's is celebrating 7 years of Stephen Colbert's Americone Dream ice cream this week and has been giving pints of the stuff to The Colbert Report's studio audience all week long.

Review: Jack in the Box - Bacon Ranch Monster Taco

Jack in the Box's new, limited-time Bacon Ranch Monster Taco features the meat and crunchy shell of their Monster Taco topped with lettuce, bacon slices, and ranch sauce.

I paid $1.79 for one.

News: Burger King - Big King Now with Quarter Pound of Beef

Burger King's Big Mac clone, the Big King, is now slightly bigger as the chain upgrades the burger to a full quarter pound of beef (pre-cooked weight), which is the same amount as their iconic Whopper and pulls ahead of McDonald's Big Mac.

News: Einstein Bros. - Heart-Shaped Bagels and Cookies for Valentine's Day

Einstein Bros. and Noah's Bagels are offering heart-shaped bagels in Cranberry and Chocolate Chip flavors in celebration of Valentine's Day. 

Like the rest of the chains' bagels, the heart-shaped bagels are baked fresh in store. The bagels are available through Friday, February 14th.

Review: Starbucks - La Boulange Morning Bun

With the addition of La Boulange bakery items, Starbucks stores carrying the La Boulange line (i.e. each and every store in my area) have replaced their old Morning Bun with a new version. The La Boulange Morning Bun is described as "a flaky, buttery pastry with notes of orange and cinnamon." The previous iteration was described as "a flaky croissant-like bun dusted with cinnamon and sugar."

I picked one up for $2.45.

News: Starbucks - Valentine's Day BOGO, 2 to 5 pm

Starbucks will be offering a "buy one, get one free" deal on lattes this Friday (i.e. Valentine's Day) from 2 to 5pm.

Going with the Valentines theme, they're using with the slogan: "Share the Love."

News: Wienerschnitzel - New $1.99 Daily Deals

Looks like Wienerschnitzel is trying out a value menu centered around the $1.99 price point with their new $1.99 Daily Deals.

Review: Papa John's - Double Cheeseburger Pizza

Papa John's new, limited-time Double Cheeseburger Pizza features a pizza with "zesty burger sauce," ground beef, diced Roma tomatoes, and dill pickles.

It cost me $12 for a large.

News: Wienerschnitzel - Two for $1 Corn Dogs on Valentine's Day

Wienerschnitzel will be offering a "Two for $1" deal on Corn Dogs in celebration of Valentine's Day this Friday, February 14, 2013.

The offer is only good on Friday and only at participating locations.

News: The Coffee Bean - BOGO for Any Drink on Valentine's Day

The Coffee Bean is offering a "buy one, get one free" deal on any drink on the menu, but only on Valentine's Day, this Friday, February 14, 2014.

Under the deal, you can buy any drink on the menu and get a second drink of equal or lesser value for free.

Review: Frito-Lay - Crunchy Cheddar Jalapeno Cheetos

Frito-Lay's Crunchy Cheddar Jalapeno Cheetos are the jalapeno-flavored version of the knotted, club-like (the hitting ones, not the dancing ones) cheese snacks.

I bought a  9.5-oz bag for $2.68.

News: Tyson - New Day Starts Breakfast Sandwiches

Tyson looks to muscle into Jimmy Dean territory with the launch of new Day Starts line of frozen breakfast sandwiches.

News: Frito-Lay - New Stacy's Pretzel Thins

Frito-Lay is branching their Stacy's brand into pretzels with new Stacy's Pretzel Thins. 

Offering the taste of a hard pretzel with the thin and crispy texture of a chip or cracker, the new snacks are available in two flavors: Simply Naked and Honey Dijon.