News: Applebee's - Two New Under 550 Calorie Meals

Applebee's adds two new entrees to their "Unbelievably Great Tasting & Under 550 Calories" menu (yes, that's what they call it; they even trademarked it) with the new Zesty Roma Chicken & Shrimp and Lemon Parmesan Shrimp.

Zesty Roma Chicken & Shrimp features a grilled chicken breast, blackened shrimp, and parmesan cheese served on top of a hash of red potatoes, zucchini, red onions, Roma tomatoes, basil, and peppers with a zesty tomato sauce.

Review: Subway's Creamy Sriracha Vs. Regular Sriracha

Subway's Creamy Sriracha sauce is something they're testing out here in southern California. I tried it out on a Chipotle Chicken & Cheese sub (with bell peppers, provolone cheese, and onions on flatbread) and compared it to the real thing.

The sub cost me $5 since it's the Featured $5 Footlong this month and I asked for the Creamy Sriracha in substitution for the Chipotle Southwest sauce.

News: Starbucks Unveils $1 Reusable Cup

Starbucks now offers new reusable, recyclable plastic cups for $1 in an effort to reduce their environmental impact on waste from disposable paper cups. The new cups are made to look like Starbucks white paper cups except with small print indicating that they are "Reusable. Recyclable. Re-enjoyable."

Starbucks' 10-cent discount for bringing in your own cup, tumbler, or mug applies to these plastic cups as well. Additionally, they'll rinse your reusable cup with boiling water before filling it with whichever coffee drink you bought.

News: Dickey's Barbecue - $2 Big Barbecue Chicken Sandwich Mondays

Dickey's Barbecue, the biggest barbecue chain in the U.S., is offering their Big Barbecue Chicken Sandwiches for $2 on every Monday through the end of February.

The sandwich features marinated chicken breast smothered with barbecue sauce with pickles and onions on a buttery toasted bun. The sandwich normally sells for about $5 varying with location.

Frozen Friday: Trader Joe's - Beef Taquitos

Trader Joe's (or Jose's on the package) Beef Taquitos features 10 corn tortillas hand-rolled around a filling of shredded beef.

For $3.99, you get 18 ounces (a little over a pound) of frozen Mexican food.

News: Jamba Juice - $2 Smoothies for Limited Time

Jamba Juice is looking to get your new year's resolutions going (well, if they involve drinking smoothies anyway) with a deal for $2 smoothies that runs through Sunday, January 13, 2013.

Around the World: Starbucks To Enter Vietnam Market; Starbucks Cafe Sua Da Anyone?

Starbucks recently announced plans to enter the Vietnam market by opening the first Starbucks in Ho Chi Minh City in early February of 2013, expanding their reach to 12 countries across Asia.

News: Subway Tests Sriracha Sauce

Subway is testing a new "Creamy Sriracha Sauce" in at least a few stores in southern California as well as Florida. Sriracha is a Thai hot sauce that's popular in Thai and Vietnamese cuisine where it's most often used as a dipping sauce or as a condiment for Vietnamese pho (beef noodle soup).

However, it's gained popularity and use in recent years in the culinary community. It was even named the "Ingredient of the Year" for 2010 by Bon Appetit. Here's a hilarious comic strip from The Oatmeal regarding the use of Sriracha.

Review: Burger King - Chicken Nuggets

Burger King's new Chicken Nuggets look an awful lot like McDonald's Chicken McNuggets. Like the previous version, they're made of white meat chicken dipped in a "crispy tempura-style batter" and are meant to be crispier than before.

I picked up a 10-piece order for $2.99. There was also a 20-piece on the menu at $4.99.

Around the World: Wendy's Japan Celebrates Anniversary with the Prestige Truffle Cream Burger

Wendy's Japan celebrates a year of of their re-entry into the Japanese market with the addition of the new, limited-time Prestige Truffle Cream burger as part of their Japan Premium line.

The burger features a truffle cream and a mushroom Madeira sauce along with a spring mix atop a single or double beef patty.

News: Starbucks Switches to Steel Cut Oatmeal Sorta

Starbucks now features steel cut oatmeal blended with rolled oats for a heartier texture in new Hearty Blueberry Oatmeal. The new blend is topped with fresh blueberries, a fruit, nut, and seed medley, and agave syrup. You have to let it steep for 5 minutes before it's ready.

Steel cut oatmeal is also now in the mix for Starbucks Perfect Oatmeal, the addition is accompanied by a name change to "Starbucks Classic Oatmeal." This version of oatmeal comes topped with brown sugar, dried fruits, and nuts.

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

For a little heat to help you keep warm this winter, Chick-fil-A returns their Chicken Tortilla Soup for a limited time. It's made with shredded boneless chicken breast, navy and black beans, a blend of vegetables (including onions, corn, bell peppers, celery), and a variety of spices in a cream-based soup, topped with seasoned tortilla strips.

The soup is offered in medium (8-ounce) and large (16-ounce) sizes at $3.65 and $5.99 respectively.

News: Domino's Offers $5 in Domino's Dollars When you Buy Two $5.99 Pizzas

Domino's is offering a deal on top of one of their deals for a limited time. Specifically, they are offering $5 in Domino's Dollars when you digitally (online or via phone apps) order two medium two-topping pizzas for $5.99 each between now and January 13, 2013.

You can use Domino's Dollar like cash on your next online Domino's order but they're only good for 10 days after you receive them. They're delivered to your email in the form of a promo code. They can only be earned until January 13.

Review: Foster's Freeze - Old Fashion Burger

Foster's Freeze is a Californian soft-serve chain that eventually branched out into burgers and fries. I'd never seen a burger Foster's Freeze before this one. I know them mostly as the licensor of frozen desserts for El Pollo Loco, so I was a little curious to try their savory fare.

Their Old Fashion burger features a quarter-pound patty, a slice of American cheese, lettuce, tomato pickles, and Foster All American Sauce (i.e. "secret sauce").

It was $2.99 for the burger.

News: Burger King - New Chicken Nuggets and More New Items!

The menu turnstile has been really rolling at Burger King ever since they expanded their menu last April. The latest slew of new and limited-time items includes new Chicken Nuggets (replacing the Chicken Tenders introduced in 2011), a new Whopper, sides, chicken, and dessert.

Here's a list of the latest additions:

News: KFC - New Game Day Bucket and Box

With football season in full swing, KFC kicks off the new year with the new, limited-time Game Day Bucket and Game Day Box to feed you and your friends while you watch football (or really any event that gathers you around the television).

The Game Day Bucket comes filled with 8 pieces of fried chicken, 8 Hot Wings, and 10 Original Recipe Bites for $19.99.

Review: McDonald's - Grilled Onion Cheddar Burger

McDonald's Grilled Onion Cheddar Burger is the latest addition to the Dollar Menu and features a regular McDonald's hamburger bun and patty with grilled onions and a slice of white cheddar pasteurized cheese product.

As it is on the Dollar Menu, it is offered for $1.

News: Taco Bell - New Variety Taco 12 Pack

Along with the new Loaded Grillers, Taco Bell introduces the new Variety Taco 12 Pack. Similar to the Taco Party Pack, the new 12 pack of tacos builds on the popularity of the Doritos Locos Taco in offering 6 Doritos Locos Tacos plus 6 Crunchy Tacos for $12.99.

The promotional material for the new variety pack highlights the 12 pack as ideal for football game days. The tagline for the variety pack is: "A game day tradition since right now."

You can check out the commercial for the Variety Taco 12 Pack below:

News: Dairy Queen - January 2013 Blizzard of the Month

Dairy Queen's kicks off the new year with a Blizzard that offers the variety of a box of chocolates with the return of the Chocolate Candy Shop Blizzard (last seen in July 2012). The featured Blizzard of the Month for January 2013 features a vanilla soft serve base blended with cocoa fudge and assorted mini chocolates (filled with hazelnut creme, fudge, and caramel).

News: Subway - January 2013 Featured $5 Footlong

To kick off the new year, Subway is offering the Chipotle Chicken & Cheese sub as January's Featured $5 Footlong. The Chipotle Chicken & Cheese sub features a base of chicken and Chipotle Southwest Sauce, along with the standard choice of cheese, veggies, and bread.