Feature: Inside Krispy Kreme's Home Factory

Or Q and the Donut Factory if you will. As I mentioned before Krispy Kreme flew me out to Winston-Salem, North Carolina for their Krispy Kreme VIB ("Very Important Blogger") Summit. Upon arrival, I, along with a group of bloggers, was given a tour of their factory which until very recently, did not make donuts.

Review: McDonald's - Chicken McBites

Following the footsteps of KFC, McDonald's is out with new, limited-time Chicken McBites which are battered and deep-fried bite-sized pieces of chicken breast.

I got a "shareable"-sized 10-ounce box for $4.99.

Review: Klondike - Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream Bar

The Klondike Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream Bar is a relatively recent variation on your standard chocolate and vanilla Klondike bar where instead of vanilla, there's mint chocolate chip ice cream instead and the chocolate is dark instead of milk. Nice, right?

A box of 6 bars goes for $5.29 at my local supermarket but is around $3.00 to $4.00 on sale.

Review: Popeyes - Spicy Cajun Wings

Popeyes' Spicy Cajun Wings are a limited-time menu item featuring marinated, battered, and deep-fried chicken wingettes and drumlettes.

I picked up 6 pieces for $3.99 which is a little bit more than the 50 cent wing promotion KFC is running.

Frozen Friday: Jose Ole - Steak & Cheese Flour Taquitos

Jose Ole frozen Steak & Cheese Flour Taquitos (aka Flautas) are a convenient, microwavable option for taquitos.

They come in a 22.5-ounce box of 15 taquitos for $6.49 a box or around $5.00 on sale.

News: Popeyes - New Garlic Pepper Wicked Chicken

Popeyes has a new limited-time menu item out, a new take on a previous limited-time offer, Garlic Pepper Wicked Chicken.

Taking the same thin strips of chicken breast as Wicked Chicken, the new dish tunes the formula by marinating the strips in roasted garlic and cracked black pepper.

To promote the new, limited-time item, Popeyes is offering an order of Garlic Pepper Wicked Chicken, Cajun fries, a buttermilk biscuit, garlic parmesan dipping sauce, and a mini bottle of Tabasco sauce for $3.99.

News: Papa John's - Free Pizza if America Correctly Calls Super Bowl Coin Toss

Papa John's has a neat promotion going on where Papa Rewards members stand to gain a free large, 1-topping pizza and two-liter bottle of Pepsi MAX if America correctly calls the Super Bowl coin toss ("heads" or "tails").

You can enroll in Papa Rewards and place your vote for "heads" or "tails" at the Papa John's website.

News: Nature Valley Introduces New Protein Bars

Nature Valley, best known for its granola bars, is extending its line with all-natural Nature Valley Protein Bars which feature 10 grams of protein, five grams of fiber, and less than 200 calories per bar.

The new bars come in two flavors: Peanut Butter Dark Chocolate and Peanut, Almond, and Dark Chocolate.

A box of 5 chewy bars carry a suggested retail of $3.89.

Review: Domino's - Parmesan Bread Bites

Domino's Parmesan Bread Bites are a new menu item largely overshadowed by the launch of Domino's Stuffed Cheesy Bread. Parmesan Bread Bites feature oven-baked, bite-size breadsticks lightly sprinkled with a blend of Parmesan and Asiago cheese, seasoned with garlic and more Parmesan.

I picked up 16 bite-sized pieces for $2.99.

News: Hardee's - New Country Fried Steak 'N' Gravy Platter

Hardee’s is out with its new Country Fried Steak ‘N’ Gravy Platter. The platter is one of those big breakfast options with a breaded, deep-fried beefsteak smothered in sausage gravy, Hash Rounds, a folded egg, and a house made buttermilk biscuit.

The new Country Fried Steak ‘N’ Gravy Breakfast Platter is available at participating Hardee’s restaurants starting at $2.79. Prices may vary by location.

News: Taco Bell Rolls Out First Meal i.e. Breakfast

Having touted its last night "Fourth Meal," for quite some time, after years of testing, Taco Bell is rolling out its "First Meal" breakfast menu (according to NRN) in 10 states and about 750 locations including California.

Apparently they tested "spicy" and "unique" items and customers want milder fare for breakfast so it's taco sauce for you if you want to liven up your breakfast.

The breakfast menu features 11 new items including 4 breakfast burritos (various combinations of breakfast meat and eggs), a sausage and egg wrap, hash browns, Cinnabon Delights, Seattle's Best coffee and Tropicana orange juice. I actually tried a few of the new breakfast items last year and you can check out some details and my thoughts here.

Breakfast hours vary by locations, but generally fall between 8am and 11am.

Taco Bell is looking to complete a chain-wide rollout by 2015.

Here's the complete menu with suggested prices (may vary):

Review: Taco Bell - Cheesy Gordita Crunch

Taco Bell's Cheesy Gordita Crunch is basically a Crunchy Taco with a pepper jack sauce wrapped in a soft Gordita shell and bound together with a melted blend of pepper jack, cheddar, and mozzarella.

It sells for $2.19 at my local Taco Bell or you can get one as part of a $5 Big Box Meal.

News: Cold Stone Creamery - New "Hot for Cookie" Dessert

For a limited-time, Cold Stone Creamery adds new "Hot for Cookie" to its line of plated desserts.

The treat features a blend of warm and cold by pairing a baked chocolate chip cookie and warm cookie dough topped with French vanilla ice cream, whipped topping, and chocolate shavings.

"Hot for Cookie" joins a line up of ice cream served with brownies, churros, chocolate cake, and funnel cake but only for a limited time.

News: Jamba Juice Giving Free Energy Drinks Today

Jamba Juice is giving away free cans of its Energy Drinks to the first 100 customers at each of over 500 participating Jamba locations today, Monday, January 23, 2012.

Jamba Juice Energy Drinks are available in three flavors: Strawberry Banana, Pomegranate Blueberry, and Crisp Apple.

You can check out the details of the promotion as well as participating locations on their website here.

News: Popeyes - Spicy Cajun Wings Return

For a limited-time, Popeyes is serving up Spicy Cajun Wings to meet your football eating needs.

Popeyes' Spicy Cajun Wings are marinated for 12-hours and then hand-battered and breaded before frying.

My local Popeyes has them at six for $3.99 and they come with your choice of Firecracker, Ranch, or Buffalo dipping sauce.

News: Chick-fil-A - New Grilled Chicken Nuggets for Better Kid's Meal Nutrition

Chick-fil-A is out with new Grilled Chicken Nuggets as a Kid's Meal entree option. The new nuggets are gluten-free and made with boneless, skinless chicken breast pieces tossed in a salt and pepper spice blend before grilling.

Amid concerns of obesity, many fast food chains have opted to offer healthier menu items especially for kids (such as McDonald's and Arby's) so in addition to the new Grilled Chicken Nuggets, Chick-fil-A is also offering Apple & Cinnamon flavored Buddy Fruits Pure Blended Fruit To Go apple sauce as a side option (in addition to the current options of a fruit cup or fries).

Frozen Friday: Hot Pocket Snackers - Potato Skin Bites

Hot Pocket Snackers Potato Skin Bites are mini-hot pockets that can be eaten in a bite or two and feature bacon, cheddar, potatoes, and green onions inside a potato crust.

Retail is about $3.69 for a 10-ounce bag of 12 pieces. On sale, you're looking at around $2.

News: Doritos - Sour Cream and Onion and Salsa Rios Back as Throwbacks

Just in time to grace your Super Bowl snack table, Frito Lay has brought back two throwback Doritos flavors: Doritos Sour Cream and Onion and Doritos Salsa Rios complete with old school packaging.

Ever helpful, Frito Lay has its handy dandy snack locator to find out if your local grocers are carrying these limited-time flavors.

Doritos Sour Cream and Doritos Salsa Rios will only be available through February.

Review: Carl's Jr. - Biscuit 'N' Gravy

Long a staple at sister chain, Hardee's, Carl's Jr.'s Biscuit 'N' Gravy is a simple affair: a made-from-scratch biscuit smothered in hot sausage gravy.

It's 99 cents per order.

Going to Krispy Kreme for Some Coffee and Donuts

The folks at Krispy Kreme have been kind enough to jet me across the country to their North Carolina headquarters for their blogger summit and a behind-the-scenes tour of their headquarters.

I'll be sure to let you guys know of any Willa-Wonka-type hi-jinks that ensue while I'm stuffing my face Augustus-Gloop-style on coffee and donuts.

So basically, I'm flying across the country tomorrow for coffee and donuts! Sweet!

Look forward to pictures and posts when I return!

News: McDonald's - New Caramel Hot Chocolate

Also new at McDonald's this month is Caramel Hot Chocolate.

It's basically a Caramel Mocha but without the espresso which is to say it's chocolate caramel syrup blended into steamed milk and topped with whipped cream and a bit of caramel.

Price ranges from $2.29 to $3.29 for varying sizes (may vary with loca
tion).

It's caramel for the chocolate-but-non-coffee-drinking set I suppose.

News: McDonald's - New Chicken McBites

New and for a limited time at McDonald's, Chicken McBites is McDonald's own Mc-take on popcorn chicken and feature seasoned and battered bite-sized chicken breast chunks.

They're available in three sizes: Snack (3 ounces), Regular (4.5 ounces), and Sharable (10 ounces).

You can expect Chicken McBites to be around for about 3 months so you can expect to find them until about early to mid April.

News: Post - New Honey Bunches of Oats Fruit Blends

Post is now offering a new take on their Honey Bunches of Oats cereal with new Honey Bunches of Oats Fruit Blends. Fruit Blends are available in two flavors: Peach Raspberry and Banana Blueberry.

The new cereals feature flavored crispy flakes (banana or peach) mixed with flavored oat (blueberry or raspberry) clusters.

While the brand already offers flavored clusters, what makes the new varieties different is the new varieties and the fact that the flakes themselves are flavored.

News: Arby's - New Jamocha Cream Pie

Fans of Arby's Jamocha Shake can now get their Jamocha fix in a new, limited-time Jamocha Cream Pie.
different form with

Each slice of pie comes with a layer of Jamocha (read: coffee) flavored cream topped with whipped cream (or topping, not sure which) and chocolate syrup.

It's a limited-time item so if you're hankering to try it, it won't be around forever.

Frozen Friday: T.G.I.Friday's - Grilled Chicken Mac & Cheese

T.G.I.Friday's brand Grilled Chicken Mac & Cheese frozen entree comes with white meat chicken and cavatappi pasta in an American cheese sauce topped with cheddar, Romano, parmesan and Monterey Jack cheeses.

A 12-ounce box retails for around $4.29, ranging about $2 to $3 on sale.

Review: Wendy's - The "W" Cheeseburger

Toeing the line between Wendy's value menu junior hamburgers and more premium Dave's Hot 'N Juicy Cheeseburgers, Wendy's offers a little bit of both with the "W" cheeseburger for $2.99.

The "W" features red onions, hand-leafed lettuce, crinkle-cut pickles,two 2.25-ounce beef patties, two slices of American cheese, and Wendy's signature sauce on a buttered, toasted bun.

News: Starbucks - New Blonde Roast Coffee Sampling Jan 12 - 14

Long known for its dark roast coffee, Starbucks is out with a lighter Blonde Roast of coffee to draw in coffee drinkers who prefer such (some 54 million coffee drinkers in the U.S. apparently, according to Starbucks research).

To figure out if you're one of those 54 million people, Starbucks is hosting “Find the Roast You Love Most” tasting events at participating Starbucks locations starting today, January 12 and running through January 14.

The events will be hosted for three hours each day (times vary by location so call first) and customers will be able to taste Starbucks Blonde Roast alongside its Medium Roast and Dark Roast. Those who participate in the taste test will receive a sticker declaring their roast preference, as well as a free sample of Blonde Roast to brew at home or a coupon for $1 off either their choice of a pound of any Starbucks coffee or their choice of any variety 8- or 12-pack of Starbucks VIA Ready Brew.

The new blend is available as a brewed option at Starbucks stores in the U.S. and as packaged coffee at Starbucks locations as well as grocery stores.

News: Jamba Juice - New Fit 'n Fruitful Smoothies

Jamba Juice kicks off the new year with new Fit 'n Fruitful Smoothies at a promotional price (with coupon) of $2.

What makes them Fit 'N Fruitful? Besides the standard blend of fruits, these smoothies contain Jamba's Weight Burner Boost as well as boasting "a good source of protein and fiber and two or more servings of fruit."

Weight Burner Boost is made with conjugated linoleic acid (CLA), which is known for its weight management properties i.e. it can help with any new weight loss resolutions.

Fit 'N Fruitful Smoothies are available in three flavors: Berry Blend, Peach Mango, and Strawberry Raspberry Banana.

Review: Carl's Jr. - Oreo Hand-Scooped Ice Cream Sandwich

Carl's Jr.'s Oreo Hand-Scooped Ice Cream Sandwich offers a fresher take on the stuff you find in the frozen food aisle with oversized Oreo cookie wafers (around 3" in diameter) sandwiching a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

It carries a suggested price of $1.49 but it's a little pricier in my area at $1.69.

News: Dairy Queen - January Blizzard of the Month - Strawberry CheeseQuake

Dairy Queen starts of 2012 with Strawberry CheeseQuake for January's Blizzard of the Month.

The Strawbeery CheeseQuake Blizzard features real pieces of cheesecake and strawberries blended in with Dairy Queen's vanilla soft serve.

As always, you can also get the Blizzard of the Month as an ice cream cake and it will only be available through the month of January.

News: Baskin-Robbins - Berry Nut Honey Frozen Yogurt - January 2012 Flavor of the Month

For those of you looking to eat a little lighter for the new year, Baskin-Robbins offers a lighter Flavor of the Month for January with new Berry Nut Honey Frozen Yogurt.

Featuring honey and vanilla-flavored frozen yogurt with a triple berry ribbon and sweet honey oat almond pieces, the new flavor offers 140 calories and 4.5 grams of fat per 2.5-ounce scoop (compared to 200 calories and 12 grams of fat for last month's flavor) as well as live and active cultures.

Berry Nut Honey Frozen Yogurt is available nationwide during the month of January by the scoop (in a cup or cone), in a sundae or in hand-packed pints, quarts and half-gallons.

News: Papa Murphy's - New Chicken Parmesan deLITE Pizza

Being the new year and all, quite a few fast food chains angle for your dining dollars with healthier fare. Take-and-bake pizza chain Papa Murphy's is no different and is out with the new, limited-time Chicken Parmesan deLITE Pizza.

Chicken Parmesan deLITE Pizza features grilled chicken, vine-ripened tomatoes, aged parmesan cheese, chopped garlic, fresh spinanch on Papa Murphy's crispy thin crust.

You can pick up a large for $9 or less with a coupon (check their online coupons for your applicable local coupons)

Review: Little Caesars - Pepperoni Deep Dish Pizza

While the mainstay of Little Caesars' empire is the Hot-N-Ready pizza, they do offer other options including a Deep Dish Pizza that I tried recently at $7 for a large with one topping.

The Deep Dish Pizza features a thick square pizza baked in a deep-dish pan and cut into eight triangle-cut pieces. I picked pepperoni for my topping.

News: Dunkin' Donuts - Sausage Pancake Bites are Back

For a limited time, Sausage Pancakes Bites have returned to Dunkin' Donuts.

Ideal for on-the-go eating, the bite-sized mini-corn-dog-looking Bites feature a mini sausage link nestled inside a maple-flavored pancake shell.

Sausage Pancake Bites carry a suggested retail price of 3 for $1.59 and are for a limited time only.

News: Pizza Hut - New Mighty Monday Promo

Looks like Pizza Hut has a new Monday promotion (replacing Big Mondays) dubbed "Mighty Monday."

On Mondays only, Pizza Hut is offering any P'Zone for $4 (compared to the normal price of $5 plus). The P'Zone is Pizza Hut's version of a calzone and is available in three varieties: Meaty, Pepperoni, and Supremo.

Each P'Zone comes with marinara sauce on the side for dipping.

News: Papa John's - New Tuscan Six Cheese Cheesesticks

Like Domino's recent menu addition, Papa John's adds a new variety of cheesesticks to liven up its menu with Tuscan 6-Cheese and Italian Herb Cheesesticks.

Mirroring Papa John's Tuscan Six Cheese Pizza (but without the sauce), these breadsticks come topped with a blend of six cheeses (Mozzarella, Parmesan, Romano, Asiago, provolone and Fontana cheese) and Papa John's special blend of Italian seasoning for extra flavor.

They're available in 10-inch and 12-inch sizes for $6.50 and $7.50 (price may vary). There's a special promo price on them that saves you 50 cents on a 10-inch for $6.

News: Panda Express - Firecracker Chicken Breast Returns for Chinese New Year

With the Chinese New Year around the corner (January 23, 2012), Panda Express is celebrating by once again bringing back Firecracker Chicken Breast.

The entree features marinated chicken breast, red and yellow bell peppers, and onions tossed in a wok with a zesty firecracker sauce.

Like last year, Panda is offering a free coupon for a free serving of Firecracker Chicken Breast redeemable only on January 23 via their Facebook page.

News: KFC - $11 Weekend Bucket

Along with their limited-time 50 cent Hot Wings promotion, starting this weekend, KFC is offering an $11 Weekend Bucket deal.

For the duration of the limited-time promotion and only on Saturday and Sundays, 10 pieces of mixed bone-in chicken (white and dark meat) in any variety of your choice (Original Recipe, Extra Crispy and/or Kentucky Grilled) can be had for $11 (at participating U.S. KFC locations).

Frozen Friday: T.G.I.Friday's - Sizzling Chicken Fajitas

T.G.I.Friday's Sizzling Chicken Fajitas frozen meal features a ready-to-assemble tray of grilled white meat chicken, seasoned strips of bell peppers and onions with a side of cheesy rice and 3 mini-flour tortillas for wrapping.

It retails for around $4.29 which means you're looking at the $2 to $3 range on sale.

News: Arby's - The Fish Sandwich is Back

Fish is back on the menu at Arby's for a limited time with the Fish Sandwich.

Featuring the standard breaded fish filet, shredded lettuce, tartar sauce on a sesame seed bun, you can count of these to be around until sometime after Lenten season (April).

News: Wienerschnitzel - 99 Cent Chili Dogs Promo

Wienerschnitzel is looking to drum up some sales in the new year by bringing back their 99 cent Original Chili Dog promotion for a limited time.

The Original Chili Dog is a grilled hot dog wiener nestled in a steamed hot dog bun and topped with Wienerschnitzel's trademark chili.

The promo is good at participating locations and runs through January 22, 2012.

Review: Sonic - Mushroom Swiss Toaster Melt

Sonic's Mushroom Swiss Toast Melt is a simple Texas toast sandwich with a beef patty, grilled onions, sautéed portobello mushrooms, mayo, and Swiss cheese.

It comes in a junior patty version and a quarter pound patty version which I picked up for $3.39.

News: Burger King - New Bacon and Cheddar BK Topper

For a limited time, Burger King is adding bacon to their $1.99 line of BK Toppers with the new Bacon and Cheddar BK Topper.

The new burger comes with a 3.2 ounce flame-grilled beef patty, thick-cut, hardwood smoked bacon and cheddar cheese on a sesame seed bun.

The new thick-cut bacon is a recent addition to Burger King's ingredient repertoire and is also found in the premium Chef's Choice Burger.

News: Subway - Chipotle Chicken and Cheese is January's Featured $5 Footlong

Subway kicks off the new year with a little heat on January's Featured $5 Footlong, the Chipotle Chicken and Cheese.

The Chipotle Chicken and Cheese features your choice of bread, cheese, veggies, strips of grilled chicken, and Subway's Chipotle southwest sauce.

If you go by the picture, you're looking at flatbread for bread, White American for cheese, and onions and bell peppers for veggies.

The sub will be available all of January at the promotional price of $5.

News: KFC - 50 Cent Hot Wings

For a limited-time and in time for the tail end of football season, KFC is promoting their Hot Wings by pricing them at 50 cents each.

Interestingly, the promotion one-ups fellow Yum brand, Pizza Hut, which offers their Wings for 50 cents on Wednesdays only.

I would be remiss if I didn't point out that my local KFC mailer often has a coupon for 20 wings for $9.99. Still, you can get any number of wings of your choice with this promo and don't have to remember to bring your coupon. I'd call ahead for large orders though.

News: Chick-fil-A - New Chicken Tortilla Soup

For a limited time, the folks at Chick-fil-A have added new Chicken Tortilla Soup to their menu.

The recent addition features a creamy-based soup with shredded boneless chicken breast, navy, northern and black beans, a blend of vegetables (including onions, corn, bell peppers, celery), and a variety of spices topped with seasoned tortilla strips.

The soup comes in medium and large sizes for $2.69 and $3.99 respectively.

Chick-fil-A's Chicken Tortilla Soup will be available through March 31, 2012.

News: The Coffee Bean - $1 Latte on Jan 4th, 2012 Open House

The Coffee Bean is having an Open House this Wednesday, January 4th from 4-7pm. During this event, they are offering $1 12-ounce Caramel Lattes.

Customers that drop by can choose from a Caramel Latte (hot or iced) or a Caramel Cream Tea Latte for $1.

The offer is valid only at participating The Coffee Bean locations. Not valid in Ralphs, airport and Hawaii locations. Limit one $1 latte per customer.