Bonnie: Summer whizzed by way too quickly for me this year. I do know that it’s really summer until September 21, but to most of us — including me — Labor Day signals the end of the season. And that means weekend entertaining.

If you’re the one doing the entertaining, consider grilling these delicious—and low fat—sausages from al fresco. A persistent PR (public relations) person first sent me these sausages to consider for my shoppers’ column in the Better Homes & Gardens diet issue. Yes, sausages in a diet issue. Seriously.

These sausages contain 70 percent less fat than traditional pork sausage, contain no artificial ingredients and — for those who can’t tolerate gluten — they’re gluten free, too. One link has 130 (buffalo) to 160 (apple) calories and 6 to 7 grams of total fat.

Al fresco sausages are made from skinless chicken meat, come fresh or cooked and come in many flavors. But the ones we selected for our Featured Bite are their fully cooked Buffalo Style and Sweet Apple. The Buffalo has a heat kick, but one that’s mellow enough for those who aren’t fond of spicy foods, and a flavor, as the name implies, redolent of the eponymous chicken wings.

The Sweet Apple is made with real maple syrup, a perfect balance of fruit to sweetness. Great in omelets, frittata, FB_Alfresco2.jpgas a side for pancakes or waffles or simply grilled whole or skewered along with pineapple chunks. Try either with pasta, on a quesadilla, in a wrap or on a bun topped with sautéed onions and mushrooms, roasted red pepper and fresh spinach.

Since these are fully cooked, they’ll be ready in minutes (5 to 7 to be more specific)—giving you more time with your guests.

Speak to you again in September, which is next week. Stay tuned, as we’re almost ready to launch our newest section — Bite of the Rest — a listing of new products to keep you up to date on what’s currently available, or what will be coming to stores near you. There’ll be no write-up or evaluation from us. Just details about the product, its varieties and price.

We will, though, ask you whether you’d consider buying this product: “To bite or not to bite?” That will be our question as we take a straw poll of each product.

Bryan: The second half of my summer cooking experience has been missing a significant factor: my grill. I ran out of gas about a month back, and for a variety of reasons have yet to replace my propane tank. It almost seemed unfortunate that I received a package of al fresco natural chicken sausages in the midst of having my grill on the sidelines; for I, like most meat-eaters, prefer to have my dinner protein fire-cooked. I sat sifting through the coldpacks and sausages, considering how I was ever going to try the sausage in the absence of propane. The first type I pulled from the box was the Buffalo style, and it just seemed a shame to try these without nicely seared grill marks to adorn them. The second type from the box was spinach and feta, and though I could easily imagine it sautéed with some linguini and cheese, I truly wanted to try it on its own, grilled on a crusty roll. My laziness in not wanting to get propane was vindicated and my hopes were raised as I pulled the last package of sausages from the box: apple with maple syrup.

This ‘breakfast’ sausage gave me full rights to pan-cook without feeling like I’d sold out; I immediately thought of using it as a substitute in one of my girlfriend’s favorite breakfasts. One of our classic homemade Sunday treats is a breakfast sandwich: a buttery croissant split open, slightly toasted, served with eggs and maple sausage. It’s a heart-attack meal (something my girlfriend tries to remedy by using egg whites and I try to take to new heights by adding pepper jack cheese). I have been a bit in “diet” mode over the past few months… a bit too much sitting around and too many packages of great food arriving at my door will do that. I took this week’s breakfast as a challenge to replicate my delicious heart-attack snack without the heart attack. Enter al fresco chicken sausages.

I decided to begin my attempt at a low-cal breakfast. I couldn’t submit to the egg whites (I just love my yolks), but I did leave off the cheese this time and substituted the al fresco apple with maple syrup for my girlfriend’s classic Jimmy Dean maple sausage. An entire link of al fresco’s has only 160 calories and 10 percent of daily fat values, compared to 250 calories and 34 percent of daily fat in Jimmy Dean’s version. Not only is the al fresco better for you, but it’s just better tasting, with a more subtle and truer-tasting maple flavor. The sausages are precooked, making them safe and easy to use. I’ve even started bringing the other varieties to work, as they’re easily split and microwaved to be put on a bun. Buffalo style and spinach and feta have only 130 calories apiece and are just as delicious. I would highly recommend these as a snack, a meal or side dish (Buffalo-style and potato hash is a great healthy version).

Eric: Anytime sausage enters the cooking arena, my mind immediately focuses on how to make (and constantly bring to new heights) a sausage sandwich smothered in caramelized peppers and onions. This sandwich (termed “hoagie,” “grinder,” “submarine” or “hero,” depending on where you were brought up), along with the classic meatball sub, chicken Parmesan and tuna melt, represents one of my favorite “comfort foods.”

I was initially excited when I saw the varieties of sausage – and in the back of my mind I was already imagining sinking my teeth into the “heart-attack on a bun” (as my brother so eloquently puts it). As I started to look closely at the packages, my immediate joy turned to sorrow. My first thought as I went sifting through the different varieties: “Another tasteless version of lowfat chicken sausage.” The dream sandwich that I had been imagining slowly began to vanish. For a few days after, the packages were relegated to the back of my fridge to sit and wait for their turn in the skillet, while I was getting anxious for a good, filling sandwich.

Now, all I can say is “flavor” – these chicken sausages, although low in fat compared to many of the leading brand pork/beef sausages, pack enough flavor in them to lead you to believe you’re indulging. I followed my brother’s lead and first tried the maple-syrup sausage as a side to my breakfast. Then it was time for me to find a variety with enough flavor to grace my bread and be smothered with caramelized veggies. This turned out to be the Buffalo-style sausage. With a little spice, an amazing flavor and nearly one-third of the fat of a normal sausage – I was overly content with my sandwich and could sit back and relish satisfaction.