There are quite a lot of Fun Friday news stories to share this week.

Our first Fun Friday story for this week: Hot Pockets is turning up the heat and asking everyone to "chill." 

Dads' obsession with the thermostat is legendary. Change the temperature even one degree, and dad—or another thermostat-obsessed family member—will sense it. Don't complain, or you'll be told to just grab a sweater. Which is why this holiday season, Hot Pockets is turning up the heat and asking everyone to chill.

Now through Dec. 15, consumers who need a break from the battle can enter online at hotpockets.com/turnuptheheat for a chance to have Hot Pockets convince dad—or the person with thermostat-driven Dad vibes in their lives—to chill. Lucky winners will get $500 and one month of free Hot Pockets.

A recent survey sponsored by Hot Pockets and conducted by Wakefield Research found that 55% of parents have disagreements with their children over the thermostat. Of those parents, 83% said their kids have changed the thermostat against their wishes. In fact, 220 million TikTok views with more than 352K engagements paint a vivid picture—strongly-worded notes, plexiglass lockboxes, security cameras, and thermostats that were secreted away to locked rooms.

Brain-boosting superfoods

A recent Newsweek article featured neuroscientists revealing the snacks they eat to boost memory.

Some of their picks include blueberries, nuts, wasabi, kale chips, and salmon crackers.

"There are a number of foods that are known for their ability to support brain function," Carol Cheatham, an associate professor in the Department of Psychology and Neuroscience at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, told Newsweek. "Food is the fuel that runs the brain!"

Grilled cheese and tomato soup ... dumplings?

Kraft Singles has joined forces with Top Chef finalist and dumpling extraordinaire, Shirley Chung, to bring the world a Chinese American fusion: Kraft Singles’ Souplings. In a twist on the American classic, Souplings are tomato soup and grilled cheese, made with Kraft Singles, merged for the first time in one single bite.  

“Grilled Cheese and Tomato soup is the American icon for simple, classic, go-to comfort food. Dumplings, too, are a delicacy that delivers easy enjoyment,” says Stephanie Vance, brand manager, Kraft Singles. “Kraft Singles is thrilled to partner with Chef Shirley, known for her celebrations of American classics via unique Chinese fusions, to bring people a playful new way to enjoy the simple, melty flavors of this combo.”  

“I love marrying traditional, authentic Chinese cuisine in new and progressive American ways,” said Chung. “What better way to marry the traditions of Chinese cuisine than with the delightful, simple flavors of Grilled Cheese and Tomato Soup? Of course, I had to use Kraft Singles as the best and meltiest American Cheese for an amazing Grilled Cheese however you enjoy it." 

The Kraft Singles Souplings are currently available at Chung’s restaurant, Ms Chi Café in Culver City, CA, for a limited time. For those that are unable to make it to the restaurant, the Souplings will also be available to order on Goldbelly.com starting November 15.

Green Giant supports No Kid Hungry, hosts Friendsgiving feast for food brand mascots

Green Giant has announced a Friendsgiving campaign in support of No Kid Hungry. Green Giant, Little Green Sprout, Ernie L. Keebler, Charlie the Tuna, Pillsbury Doughboy, Lucky Charms Lucky the Leprechaun, Cheerios Buzz Bee, and Mr. Peanut brand mascots came together to share a festive Friendsgiving meal. Each brand mascot brought a favorite holiday recipe to the table, which the Green Giant brand has combined into a free digital cookbook. Consumers can visit GreenGiantFriendsgiving.com to download the cookbook and view behind-the-scenes images and videos of the mascots coming together for a Friendsgiving celebration at the farm. 

To mark the Friendsgiving feast, the Green Giant brand pledged a donation to No Kid Hungry to help make sure kids across the country have access to three healthy meals a day. Every dollar donated to No Kid Hungry can help provide 10 meals to children. Consumers interested in hosting their own Friendsgiving celebrations can sign up with No Kid Hungry to turn their events into fundraisers, too, and receive tools and ideas to help raise funds for No Kid Hungry. Each Friendsgiving sign-up completed by November 30 will result in a $1 donation by the Green Giant brand to No Kid Hungry with a minimum total donation of $25,000 and a maximum total donation of $35,000.

Lay's, reality star Matt James celebrate Friendsgiving with mashed potatoes made from Lay's chips

Friendsgiving season is here and Lay's is central to the dinner table with the brand's spin on the viral cooking hack turning Lay's potato chips into a favorite side dish: mashed potatoes.

"Lay's Potato Chip to Potato Dish with Matt James" is an exclusive cookbook kit developed in collaboration with reality television star and ultimate foodie Matt James, that makes it more fun than ever for fans to cook mashed potatoes for their Friendsgiving feasts. Because Lay's potato chips are made with real potatoes, the main ingredient of this dish is simple: Lay's Classic potato chips.

The cooking hack made famous by creative foodies on TikTok has generated over 1 million views to date. Now Lay's and James are joining the trend to remind fans they don't need much more than a single bag of Lay's potato chips to make the beloved dish. The kit includes a limited-edition Lay's Classic potato chip bag reimagined for Friendsgiving and an original Lay's mashed potatoes recipe developed by James.

Pinkbox Doughnuts transforms Pooh doughnut into F1 treats for the Las Vegas Grand Prix  

To welcome the Formula One Las Vegas Grand Prix happening Nov. 16–18, Pinkbox Doughnuts transformed its trademarked Pooh doughnut into four racing-inspired creations available Nov. 13–19. The racing Pooh doughnuts include:

• Red Hot Racer – Vanilla cake topped with vanilla buttercream, covered in red cinnamon candy icing and racing driver décor 
• Pit Stop Pooh– Glazed chocolate cake topped with chocolate buttercream, covered in chocolate icing with racing decor 
• Pirelli Pinky – Glazed vanilla cake topped with vanilla buttercream, covered in pink icing with racing décor  
• Victory Lap Veegee – Vegan glazed vanilla cake topped with orange vegan buttercream and orange frosting with racing décor 

“Pinkbox Doughnuts, like all of Las Vegas, has F1 fever,” said Judith Perez Siegel, representative from Pinkbox Doughnuts. “So, we were very excited to dress up our trademark Pooh doughnut with racing gear to create these four special doughnut treats. And just like the F1, these special doughnuts will be gone fast.”