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).