Neat! King's Hawaiian Hot Dog Buns

King's Hawaiian makes hot dog buns now! I was pretty excited to see this since I love their rolls and there's a local hot dog chains around here use the actually King's Rolls for hot dog and hamburger buns.

What makes them especially nice is that the sides are exposed and give a nice grilling surface.

News: Hardee's - New Hand-Breaded Chicken Tender Sandwiches

Following on the heels of sister chain, Carl's Jr.'s switch from Hand-Breaded Chicken Fillet Sandwiches to Hand-Breaded Chicken Tenders in May, Hardee's adds Hand-Breaded Chicken Tender Sandwiches to the menu.

While Carl's Jr. offers their Hand-Breaded Chicken Tender Sandwiches in Bacon Swiss Crispy, Honey Mustard, and Buttermilk Ranch, Hardee's offers them in Original (the classic lettuce, tomato, mayo), Bacon Swiss, and Honey Mustard. Looks like Hardee's is sticking with the seeded bun over the regular bun that Carl's Jr. went with.

Frozen Friday: Stouffer's - Farmer's Harvest Chicken & Parmesan Pasta Bake

Stouffer's Farmer's Harvest Chicken & Parmesan Pasta Bake comes with a vegetable medley side which seems to be standard for all of the Farmer's Harvest line: a blend of broccoli (or green beans), carrots, and red peppers in a butter sauce.

A 12-ounce box runs around $3.99 but I picked it up on sale for $2.

Review: Starbucks - Pink Lime Frozt Frappuccino

Starbucks Pink Lime Frozt Frappuccino is something Starbucks is testing in a few select locations including one that The Sister occasioned upon while on a trip.

Pink Lime is described by Starbucks as a "fruity lemonade" and The Sister tried a 12-ounce Tall, but the cost escapes her (I'm guessing a little over $3 though).

News: Target - Buy One, Get One Free Frappuccinos!

Attention Target shoppers (cue PA system voice)! According to their Facebook, Target is offering a buy one, get one free Frappuccino promotion at all Target Starbucks locations through Monday, July 2.

The promotion is not going without a hitch though. A quick read of the comments suggests that you should call ahead to make sure your local Target is participating.

News: Papa John's - New Chicken Parmesan Pizza

Papa John's is out with a new, limited-time pizza: the Chicken Parmesan Pizza.

The Chicken Parmesan Pizza joins the Buffalo Chicken Pizza on Papa John's limited-time rotation and is topped with garlic parmesan and pizza sauce, sliced chicken strips, mozzarella, Parmesan cheese, Romano cheese, and Italian herb seasoning.

Neat! McDonald's Employee Tells All!

A McDonald's restaurant employee (user name GameMisconduct63) posted on the "IAmA" section of Reddit offering to answer any questions regarding his experience working at McDonald's restaurant. Specifically he titles the thread "IAmA McDonald's employee, who has seen the worst of the worst customer incidents, altercations, and overall rudeness of human beings. AMA." "AMA" stands for "Ask Me Anything."

Interesting, he actually enjoys working at McDonald's which he attributes to great co-workers and managers, which is typically true of any workplace. While he maintains that he can only answer as to his own experiences at a single McDonald's restaurant, his replies tend to be enlightening and, as with any customer service job, he has had to deal with irate and sometime bizarre customers experiences.

Review: Domino's - Chicken & Bacon Carbonara Artisan Pizza

Domino's Chicken & Bacon Carbonara Artisan Pizza is the latest addition to Domino's line of $7.99 Artisan-style pizzas. It's topped with a blend of marinara and alfredo sauce, pieces of grilled chicken breast, smoked bacon, mozzarella cheese, diced tomatoes, and a bit of oregano.

News: Starbucks - $1 Off Frappuccinos When Buying Two or More

Starbucks is running a promotion for $1 off each Frappuccino of any flavor as long as you buy two or more. The deal is good starting today, July 28, and runs through this Sunday, July 1.

The premise is you can bring a friend and enjoy the savings. But you can also just buy two different flavors and double fist it.

News: Red Robin Really Brings the Heat with Ghost Peppers

For those of you who love the heat (or hate your tongue), Red Robin has a nice surprise for you with two new burger styles that incorporate ghost peppers, one of the world's hottest chili peppers.

For a buck more from the standard $6.99 of a Tavern Double (includes Bottomless Steak Fries), you can choose to melt your mouth with either Fiery Ghost Style or Cry Baby Style. If you're looking for a bigger burger, it's also a $1 upcharge on the Big Tavern.

Review: Domino's - Spinach & Feta Artisan Pizza

Domino's Spinach & Feta Artisan Pizza is a rectangular hand-stretched "artisan-style" pizza that features alfredo sauce, feta and parmesan-asiago cheeses, fresh baby spinach, and onions.

It's normally $7.99 a pizza, but taking advantage of last week's 50% promo scored me this for $4.

News: Häagen-Daz Shops - New Sweet Balsamic Sundae

Häagen-Daz Shops are joining the berry (strawberry that is) parade this summer with their latest new sundae, the Sweet Balsamic Strawberry Sundae.

The Sweet Balsamic Strawberry Sundae features two scoops of Häagen-Daz strawberry ice cream drizzled with handmade tangy balsamic strawberry sauce and topped with whipped cream.

Around the World: KFC Philippines - New Cheese Top Burger

So KFC Philippines has a new cheeseburger out. That in itself wouldn't be notable were it not for the fact that the cheese is placed on top of the burger!

The new Cheese Top Burger at KFC Philippines is a cheese-topped bun with an Original Recipe chicken patty and garlic parmesan dressing inside. The cheese is outside the bun.

News: Starbucks Testing Frozt as Non-dairy Frappuccino Alternative

Starbucks is testing a non-dairy version of the ice-blended Frappuccino this summer at select locations in San Jose, Dallas, and Atlanta.

Calling the test concoctions Frappuccino Frozt (pronounced "frostie" apparently hmm, getting differing reports on the interwebs, could be "frost" or "frozed"), they're available in two flavors: Pink Lime and Coconut Lime.

Brand Eating Giveaway Drawing: Greek-inspired Bowl

Good news porcelain serving bowl lovers! Brand Eating has teamed up with Athenos to give away a Jonathan Adler Greek-inspired serving bowl to one lucky reader! Whether you want it to serve your salads in style or just want to use it as a fancy giant cereal bowl, read on for how you can win.

Athenos is once again tapping disapproving Yiayia ("grandmother" in Greek) this summer to promote their feta cheese. The commercials are pretty hilarious... and full of condescension grandma style. I've posted them below in case you want to check them out.

Review: Burger King - Texas BBQ Whopper

Burger King's Texas BBQ Whopper is a limited-time menu item that's part of BK's BBQ Summer menu. It's slightly different take on BK's iconic Whopper and comes with a quarter pound beef patty, American cheese, jalapeño slices, red onions, tomatoes, iceberg lettuce, and Bull’s-Eye Texas Style BBQ sauce on a sesame seed bun.

I picked one up for $3.99.

News: Burger King - $1.04 Original Chicken Sandwich This Weekend

In early celebration of July 4th, Burger King will be selling their Original Chicken Sandwich for $1.04 starting this Friday, June 29 through Sunday, July 1.

The offer is only good on the original version of the sandwich and not the specialty versions.

News: Pizza Hut - New Garlic Bread Pizza

Pizza Hut's latest pizza novelty is the new, limited-time Garlic Bread Pizza.

Featuring nine individual slices of garlic bread topped with melted cheese and your choice of 1 topping for $8.99, you could make a good argument that it's not pizza at all. They could have easily called it "topped cheesy garlic bread."

Review: McDonald's - McCafé Chocolate Chip Frappé

McDonald's Chocolate Chip Frappé is new to the McDonald's menu and similar to Starbuck's Java Chip Frappuccino. It's here for a limited-time this summer.

What's it made of? It's McDonald's Caramel Coffee Frappé base plus Mocha Coffee Frappé base with ice and chocolate chips thrown in a blender before being topped with whipped cream, a drizzle of caramel syrup, and a drizzle of chocolate syrup.

It cost me $2.29 for a small 12-ounce cup (the medium was selling for $2.79 and the large for $3.29).

Feature: Taco Bell's Cantina Bell Preview

Taco Bell recently invited me to a dinner previewing their upcoming Cantina Bell menu (debuting nationally on July 5) as well as to meet with celebrity chef Lorena Garcia (competing this summer on Top Chef Masters; no, she wouldn't say who won, but hopes you will cheer for her) who they partnered with to develop the recipes behind the new menu.

News: Popeyes - New Zatarain's Butterfly Shrimp

Popeyes kicks it up a notch by partnering with New Orleans-style food company Zatarain's to come up with new Zatarain's Butterfly Shrimp. The new dish combines Zatarain's seasoning and signature cornmeal breading with Popeye's Butterfly Shrimp.

Zatrarain's Butterfly Shrimp are only available at participating Popeyes restaurants through July 29. You can pick up 8 pieces of shrimp, Cajun fries, a biscuit, and Lemon Garlic dipping sauce for $4.99.

News: Del Taco - New Grande Scrambler and Breakfast Promos

Del Taco takes a kitchen sink approach with their latest menu item, the new Grande Scrambler. Wrapped inside a flour tortilla is a laundry list of ingredients including: your choice of bacon or sausage, scrambled eggs, hashbrown sticks, cheddar cheese, pico de gallo, and red sauce.

They've also added Minute Maid brand Orange Juice to the menu.

News: Church's Chicken - Two New Dipping Sauces

Church's Chicken is out with two new dipping sauces for their Chicken Strips: Smoky Honey Mustard and Purple Pepper. Smoky Honey Mustard is a blend of honey mustard and barbecue sauce to supply the "smoky" bit. Purple Pepper promises a "perfect blend of heat and sweet." I'm guessing the purple pepper means purple bell pepper, but they could also be purple hot peppers like these.

The sauces join Church's existing sauce line up which consists of Creamy Jalapeno, BBQ, Honey Mustard, and Ranch.

Review: Mauna Loa - Maui Onion & Garlic Macadamia Nuts

Another weekend, another can of macadamia nuts. This time I'm eating Mauna Loa Maui Onion & Garlic Macadamias from the great state of Hawaii (okay, so they're all from Hawaii).

As a souvenir brought back from Hawaii by my brother, it cost me nothing. But the taste of the island does not come cheap here on the mainland. You're looking at around $5 bucks a pop (4.5 ounce can) in sunny California.

Around the World: Subway Japan - Duck Pastrami!

Subway Japan is currently doing a French-themed promotion that includes a Duck Pastrami and Orange Sauce sandwich with an orange sauce.

Sounds pretty fancy no? Duck isn't exactly a common ingredient at a fast food joint. The rest of the sandwich is fairly standard Subway with your choice of bread and veggies. The Duck Pastrami and Orange Sauce sandwich costs 450 yen for a 6-inch (about $5.59 at the time of this writing).

Review: Costco - Combination Pizza

For those of you who don't know, most Costco warehouse stores sport a food court and one of the best sellers is pizzas offered in your choice of cheese, pepperoni, or combination for $9.95.

I picked up a Combination Pizza, sometimes called a "supreme' at other pizzerias, which is topped with a fairly standard mix of pepperoni, bell peppers, onions, olives, sausage, and mushrooms.

Frozen Friday: Healthy Choice - Turkey and Sweet Potatoes

Part of Healthy Choice's Top Chef inspired line of frozen dinners, Honey-Glazed Turkey and Sweet Potatoes features turkey medallions, roasted sweet potatoes, green beans, wild rice, and onions with a honey pepper glaze.

These are normally $4.29 at a local supermarket, but I nabbed it on sale for $2. The box highlights 9g of whole grain, 14g of protein, and 250 calories.

Around the World: Burger King Taiwan Goes with Tortilla Chips on Burger

Burger King Taiwan's latest promotion touts the taste of the American Southwest which apparently means corn tortilla chips in their long burgers and chicken sandwiches for that added crunch.

Available with either grilled beef patties or grilled chicken, the sandwiches also include the aforementioned corn tortilla chips, onions, BBQ sauce and mayo..

Review: McDonald's - Spicy Chicken McBites

Spicy Chicken McBites are a limited-time menu item at McDonald's this summer, and are the follow up to the Chicken McBites they were selling at the beginning of the year. They promise battered and deep-fried bite-sized chicken breast pieces with a spicy kick.

I picked up a 3-ounce "snack" box for $1.99. They also come in a 4.5-ounce "regular" ($2.99) and a 10-ounce "shareable" box($4.99).

News: McDonald's - New McCafe Frappé Chocolate Chip for a Limited Time

I don't know why McDonald's calls it the Frappé Chocolate Chip and not the Chocolate Chip Frappé, but it's at participating McDonald's restaurants for a limited-time.

It offers the flavor of mocha, caramel, and coffee plus chocolate chips blended with ice. To finish, there's whipped cream and a drizzle of chocolate and, for good measure, a drizzle of caramel as well. So it's basically a Caramel Mocha Frappé (not on the menu) with the most distinguishing feature being the little bits of chocolate chips as you sip.

Neat! McDonald's - A Look at Why the Food Always Looks Better in Ads

If you've ever wondered why the food in the pictures at McDonald's (and about everywhere else) looks so good in the pictures and not so much like the pictures when you order it, McDonald's Canada has an answer for you. Food stylists! Also, it takes several hours to make the burger in the picture and about a minute to make the one you just ordered.

News: Panda Express - Free Orange Chicken This Friday

Panda Express is once again giving away free single serving of their trademark Orange Chicken, for the second time this month, tomorrow, Friday, June 22 after 9pm.

The freebie serves to highlight Panda's extended summer hours with a serving of their most popular item, as well as helping to mark the beginning of summer.

Review: Burger King - Sweet Potato Fries

Sweet Potato Fries at Burger King are here for a limited-time as part of their summer BBQ menu.

I picked up a large order for $2.39 since a small was $1.89 I figured why not. More to share right?

News: McDonald's - Dipped Cones for a Limited Time

Participating McDonald's restaurants are offering chocolaty Dipped Cones for a limited-time as part of a chocolate-themed promotion. Dipped Cones are McDonald's regular vanilla soft serve cones, but dipped in a chocolaty shell that hardens around the soft serve.

If Dipped Cones at McDonald's seems familiar to you, it's because they've offered them before at some locations. Price may vary, but should be a little over a buck at most locations. You'll want to call ahead for this one as not all McDonald's are participating.

News: Bruegger's - Free Iced Coffee on June 21st

Bruegger's is offering a free coupon good for a free 16-ounce iced coffee via their Facebook page. You do have to "like" them to print out the coupon and it's only good for Thursday, June 21, from open until 4pm at participating locations.

They advise you to check ahead as some bakery locations close before 4pm (some close later than that, but you still only have till 4pm to redeem).

News: Jamba Juice - New Wildly Watermelon Frozen Yogurt

Jamba Juice adds Wildly Watermelon to their lineup of Whirl'ns frozen yogurt for a limited time this summer. Whirl'ns is Jamba's line of custom mixed-to-order (with whole fruit and the like) frozen yogurt that they currently only serve in California at participating locations. You can find participating locations on their website here.

Whirl'ns come in ten flavors (including the limited-time Wildly Watermelon) and provide a good source of calcium and fiber (roughly 20% of your daily recommended intake of each in a small size).

News: Sonic - Half-Price Shakes All Day Tomorrow!

Tomorrow, Wednesday, June 20, Sonic will be celebrating the Summer Solstice (longest day of the year) by offering their summer time half-price shake promotion all day.

After tomorrow, the half-price shake promotion will continue for the rest of summer, but only after 8pm.

Review: McDonald's McCruncher

Currently in test at select McDonald's restaurants (including one in the Central Valley of California), the McCruncher is a McDonald's Hamburger variant with white cheddar cheese, crispy fried onion strings, and chipotle Ranch sauce.

It sells for $1 on the Dollar Menu.

News: Chipotle - Sour Cream! Now 100% from Happy Cows!

Potentially happier cows!

Okay, so I don't really know if they're happy, but Chipotle wants you to know that 100% of the sour cream (which The Sister loves) served in Chipotle restaurants are made from dairy from pasture-raised cows.

What does that mean? It means the cows have at least daily access to walk outside in the fields with the grass and the sun (i.e. outdoor pastures). Additionally, the never given hormones, and are fed a vegetarian diet. At the very least, it's not a bad assumption that the cows are happier than cows that are stuck indoors all day (then again a lot people are stuck indoors all day...).

Review: El Pollo Loco - Chicken Avocado Burrito

El Pollo Loco's Chicken Avocado Burrito is a limited-time item they're sporting for the summer because avocados abound around this time of year. Each burrito is filled with pieces of flame-grilled chicken, fresh-sliced avocado, cabbage, pinto beans, and creamy cilantro dressing plus diced cilantro thrown in for good measure.

It cost me $5.29 for the burrito.

News: Domino's - New $19.99 Domino's Perfect Combo

Domino's has a new family-oriented combo they're calling the "Domino's Perfect Combo."

Inspired by feedback from their Hispanic customers, the combo includes a little bit of everything for $19.99: 2 medium one-topping pizzas, a two-liter bottle of Coca-Cola, a 16-piece order of Parmesan Bread Bites, and an eight-piece order of Cinna Stix (items that I've conveniently tried and reviewed, except for the bottle of Coke; just click on the appropriate links to see what I thought).

Review: Burger King - Frozen Lemonade

Burger King's limited-time, new Frozen Lemonade is something they're doing for the summer: blending lemonade with ice.

I paid $2.49 for a medium, 16-ounce cup of Frozen Lemonade.

Review: Mauna Loa - Kona Coffee Glazed Macadamias

Mauna Loa's Kona Coffee Glazed Macadamia Nuts feature two of Hawaii's signature foodstuffs in Kona coffee and macadamia nuts. They're also two of the most expensive foods to come out of Hawaii.

I don't know how much this costs, my brother brought back a variety back from Hawaii and I'm slowly making my way through them. Here on the mainland a similar 4.5-ounce can sells for around $5.

Neat! Guerrero Fresh Hot Tortillas Display

I saw one of these at one of my local small chain supermarkets. It's a warm tortilla display! Promising fresh hot tortillas, the inside is a combination warmer/humidifer to keep the tortillas at just the right temperature.

Around the World: The Biggest McMenu, Part Eight

Here it is! Part 8 of the Biggest McMenu taking a look at some of the "Mc"-menu items on McDonald's restaurants around the world. You may have had muesli for breakfast before, but unless you're in Slovenia, you haven't had McMuesli! Oh no they didn't! Oh yes they did!

Frozen Friday: Lean Cuisine - Baja-Style Chicken Quesadilla

Lean Cuisine's Baja-Style Chicken Quesadilla is a simple frozen meal of grilled chicken strips, black beans, corn and reduced fat mozzarella cheese in a flour tortilla.

A 5-ounce box retails for $3.29 at my local supermarket but I paid $2 for this one on sale.

Review: Burger King - Memphis BBQ Pulled Pork Sandwich

Burger King's Memphis BBQ Pulled Pork Sandwich features tender pulled pork mixed with BK's Memphis BBQ Sauce (Sweet Baby Ray’s Sweet ‘n Spicy BBQ sauce), topped simply with sliced onions and something they're calling a Sweet Southern dressing. It's served on the same artisan bun they used for the BK Chef's Choice Burger.

I picked one up at my local Burger King for $3.49.

News: Dunkin' Donut - Limited-Time Dad's Heart Donut

If your dad has a donut or coffee fix and you wish to feed his addiction in celebration of Father's Day, Dunkin' Donuts looks to help you out with the limited-time Dad's Heart Donut. It's a heart-shaped yeast donut filled with Bavarian creme and finished with chocolate icing and a white dipping icing drizzle.

They also have new Mocha K-Cup packs in case your dad has one of those Keurig K-Cup brewing systems (or if you bought him one!) and a new "This Dad Runs on Dunkin'" 16-ounce Tumbler available at participating Dunkin' locations or online for $6.99.

New Fast Food Reference Page

Hey guys, I just put up a new Fast Food Reference Page that might be useful to you if you don't want to have to sift through each brand's website to get the information you want. There's a link on the menu bar at the top of the site next to the "Current Menu Promotions."

I've included links to their online menus, nutritional information, store locators, and customer service (in case they screw up your order or what not).

Please check it out and let me know what you think! Thanks!

Review: Burger King - Bacon Sundae

Burger King's Bacon Sundae features vanilla soft serve swirled with chocolate fudge and caramel syrup and topped with pieces of bacon and then, for good measure, garnished with half strip of thick-cut bacon.

It'll cost $2.49 (may vary) for your very own.

News: Chick-fil-A - 2012 Cow Appreciation Day on July 13!

The cows at Chick-fil-A celebrate "Eat Mor Chikin" (and obviously less cow) with the 8th Annual Cow Appreciation Day on Friday, July 13.

What does that mean for you? Free food! But only if you dress up as a cow. Or at least partially like a cow...