FAST FOOD NEWS: Checkers and Rally’s Philly Cheesesteak Burger and Crispy Mushroom Steak Burger

Checkers Rally s Philly Cheesesteak Burger and Crispy Mushroom Steak Burger

Checkers and Rally’s have two new steak-topped burgers.

The Philly Cheesesteak Burger features a 100 percent beef burger patty topped with seasoned shaved steak, Swiss cheese, and grilled onions. It has 510 calories, 29 grams of fat, 10 grams of saturated fat, 1 gram of trans fat, 60 milligrams of cholesterol, 1490 milligrams of sodium, 37 grams of carbohydrates, 7 grams of sugar, 2 grams of fiber, and 23 grams of protein.

Oh, if you have an encyclopedia of Checkers and Rally’s knowledge in your head, you’re probably saying, “That’s not new. Checkers used to have a Philly Cheesesteak Burger.” And you would be correct, Encyclopedia Brittani-Know-It-All. But this version doesn’t come with sourdough bread.

The Crispy Mushroom Steak Burger has a beef patty, seasoned shaved steak, Swiss cheese, seasoned mayo, grilled onions, and crispy mushrooms breaded the the chains’ famous fry seasoning. It has 710 calories, 47 grams of fat, 15 grams of saturated fat, 1.5 grams of trans fat, 70 milligrams of cholesterol, 2010 milligrams of sodium, 47 grams of carbohydrates, 7 grams of sugar, 3 grams of fiber, and 25 grams of protein.

Both burgers are available for a limited time for just $1.99 at participating locations.

If you’ve tried either one, let us know what you think of it in the comments.

(Image via Checkers Rally’s)

SPOTTED ON SHELVES: Blue Bunny Seasonal S’more Please and Limited Edition Strawbunny Bliss Ice Creams

Blue Bunny Seasonal S'more Please Ice Cream

Blue Bunny Limited Edition Strawbunny Bliss Ice Cream

Graham flavored ice cream, chocolate flavored chunks, a marshmallow swirl, and a graham cracker swirl. Yes please! (Spotted by Rachel C at Walmart.)

If you’re out shopping and see an interesting new product on the shelf, snap a picture of it, and send us an email ([email protected]) with where you found it and “Spotted” in the subject line. Or reply to us (@theimpulsivebuy) on Twitter with the photo, where you spotted it, and the hashtag #spotted. If you’ve tried the product, share your thoughts about it in the comments.

FAST FOOD NEWS: Dairy Queen M&M’s Peanut Butter Monster Cookie Blizzard

Dairy Queen M M s Peanut Butter Monster Cookie Blizzard

Dairy Queen’s Blizzard of the Month for July 2016 is the loaded M&M’s Peanut Butter Monster Cookie Blizzard. Just looking at the picture above makes me want to sarcastically ask, “Would you like some soft serve with your peanut butter cookies, Milk Chocolate M&M’s, choco chunks, and peanut butter?”

A large serving has 1410 calories, 63 grams of fat, 31 grams of saturated fat, 1.5 grams of trans fat, 105 milligrams of cholesterol, 700 milligrams of sodium, 183 grams of carbohydrates, 5 grams of fiber, 144 grams of sugar, and 29 grams of protein.

If you’ve tried it, let us know what you think of it in the comments.

(Image via Dairy Queen’s website)

SPOTTED ON SHELVES: TruMoo Limited Edition Cookies ‘n Cream Milk

TruMoo Limited Edition Cookies 'n Cream Milk

I want to make a milkshake with this and cookie ‘n cream ice cream and then dunk Oreo cookies into it. (Spotted by Amber N at Target.)

If you’re out shopping and see an interesting new product on the shelf, snap a picture of it, and send us an email ([email protected]) with where you found it and “Spotted” in the subject line. Or reply to us (@theimpulsivebuy) on Twitter with the photo, where you spotted it, and the hashtag #spotted. If you’ve tried the product, share your thoughts about it in the comments.

REVIEW: Pillsbury Girl Scouts Thin Mints Brownie Mix

Pillsbury Girl Scouts Thin Mints Brownie Mix

Before we begin, let me say this: don’t Google “Pillsbury Doughgirl.”

I did so with the intention of cracking some joke about how the Pillsbury Doughboy shouldn’t be allowed on this box of Girl Scouts Thin Mints Brownie Mix, but instead I learned three things:

  • Yes, there was a female “Poppie Fresh” mascot introduced in the ‘70s, but fans still weirdly debate whether she’s the Doughboy’s wife or sister.
  • It only takes creepy internet photographers two Google image search results to make these mascots’ relationship disturbingly erotic.
  • The Urban Dictionary definition of “Pillsbury Dough Girl” would make even George Carlin blush.

So excuse me as I unplug my computer and mourn the loss of my innocence by cramming an 8”x8” rectangle of baked chocolate mint goodness into my mouth.

Pillsbury Girl Scouts Thin Mints Brownie Mix 2

The brownie mix itself is pale brown and floury: the kind of messy stuff you’ll inevitably end up wearing like a cocoa powder apron. It tastes like a pulverized Junior Mint mixed with beach sand.

The recipe is so easy a blob of anthropomorphized crescent roll dough could make it. It only requires water, oil, and an egg, so just raid your nearest public swimming pool, Jiffy Lube, and McDonald’s All-Day Breakfast to procure the necessary ingredients.

Pillsbury Girl Scouts Thin Mints Brownie Mix 3

After the specified 50 strokes of a spoon, what’s left is a decadent and thick chocolate batter studded with little square chocolate chunks. I popped a solid chocolate square in my mouth, and it popped back with a rich, slightly bitter chocolate mint bite —- a lot like an Andes Mint.

With a perfect golden ratio of chocolate to mint, the batter tasted so good raw I didn’t want to bake it. But salmonella might’ve been what killed the Pillsbury Doughgirl, so I let it sit in the oven for 30 minutes while wondered — in a chocolate daze — whether that minty fresh brown batter is what courses through the Doughboy’s veins to keep him Poppin’ Fresh.

When I finally opened my oven, a gust of mint chocolate scented air smacked me like a water balloon filled with Shamrock Shakes. After my bubbling cocoa lava brownies cooled, I dug in with the voracity of a cartoon caveman.

Pillsbury Girl Scouts Thin Mints Brownie Mix 4

Yep, these taste exactly like Thin Mints. Like any sane human, I prefer my brownies gooey in the middle and crispy on the crust, and this helped recreate the “crisp cookie enrobed in creamy chocolate” textural contrast of the famous Girl Scout Cookie.

These Thin Mint Brownies lack a lot of the traditional vanilla-tinged, eggy fudge flavor of other brownies, mostly because the pleasant and pervasive buzz of peppermint usurps its place. The milk chocolate and sweetened cocoa brownie base, meanwhile, is still appropriately moist, and the formerly solid chocolate morsels provide welcome land mine bursts of magmatic, minty chocolate liqueur.

I can’t recommend these brownies to everyone, because loving mint is an obvious prerequisite. Girl Scout Cookie consumers tend to be loyal to a specific cookie, and because Thin Mints are tied for 3rd in my book — right behind Do-Si-Dos and my personal, peanut buttery Tagalong messiahs — I thought these brownies were just slightly above average.

On the other hand, those who can casually empty a roll of Thin Mints like it’s a peeled banana will give satisfied merit badges to these complexly chocolatized delights.

Wait, how half-baked and dumb do I have to be to think “chocolatized” is a real word? Did the Doughboy put another “special green” ingredient in these brownies?

(Nutrition Facts – 1/12 package, as prepared – 190 calories, 70 calories from fat, 8.5 grams of fat, 2 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 20 milligrams of cholesterol, 90 milligrams of sodium, 28 grams of carbohydrates, 1 gram of dietary fiber, 18 grams of sugar, and 2 grams of protein..)

Purchased Price: $2.99
Size: 14.1 oz box
Purchased at: Walmart
Rating: 7 out of 10
Pros: Authentic Thin Mint texture. Ooey-gooey-kablooey chocolate morsel explosions. Declaring “Tagalongology” as my official religion. Chocolatize me, Cap’n!
Cons: Fudge droughts. A criminal lack of Do-Si-Do brownies. Feeling half-baked after eating half-baked brownies. The number of red squiggles spellcheck gave this review.