But thanks to Pillsbury, there’s no reason to go without delicious cakes and brownies.

Delivering all of the flavor without the sugar, Pillsbury Sugar Free brownies, cakes and frostings can delight anyone. The treats include:

 
We tried everything. Actually, we did more than “try”: We consumed every last crumb.

The products taste like they’re made with sugar—but, surprise—they’re sweetened with Splenda (sucralose) and sugar alcohols (isomalt, maltitol and sorbitol).

As a surprise, bake a batch for a friend on a sugar-free diet. Just resist the temptation to devour it yourself.

The line is certified kosher by OU.
  

It doesn’t take much to make something
plain look special. Photo by Hannah
Kaminsky | THE NIBBLE.

 
If you’re artistic, there are books on vegetable garniture where you can indulge your talent for carving to create edible masterpieces for each plate:

 
Take a look at our article, Garnish Glamour, which has dozens of ideas for sweet and savory foods.

If you tried the caramelized onions in the recipe below, you may already be hooked.

If you want to make large quantities of caramelized onions, you can use a slow cooker. It spares you from having to constantly stir the onions. However, the onions don’t get browned as they do in a skillet. You can try browning them in a hot skillet before serving.

Watch how in this video, which combines the caramelized onions with mashed potatoes (so delicious!). While the video doesn’t add salt or pepper to the slow cooker, add some; then taste and adjust the seasonings at the end of cooking.

In the case of Dave’s Gourmet Masala Marinara pasta sauce, the result is a delightful fusion of Italy and Southeast Asia.

Marinara is the classic Italian tomato sauce served with spaghetti and meatballs, atop pizza, veal and chicken Parmigiana, and as a dipper with fried zucchini and mozzarella sticks. A good sauce will be made from lush tomatoes, fresh basil, garlic, onions and oregano.

Masala is the Hindi word for a mixture of spices.*
*While “masala” is an Indian word, the predominant flavors are both Indian and Thai.

The sauce is versatile, pairing well with chicken, lamb, pasta, pork, rice, seafood and vegetables.

We also tasted Dave’s Butternut Squash Pasta Sauce, the first sauce we’ve come across made from squash. If you’re a butternut squash fan (we are!), try it and let us know what you think.

While it provided an interesting change of pace, THE NIBBLE tasting team wasn’t keen on the change—and we don’t know why. We really enjoy pumpkin ravioli, where the squash is inside of the pasta. So why didn’t we like a purée of squash atop our pasta?

We have no idea. We’re going to get another jar and try it as a sauce for chicken and fish.

You can purchase Dave’s all-natural sauces online at DavesGourmet.com.
  

[2] Large yellow onions are best to caramelize (photo © Flagstaff Fotos).

Caramelized onions are a great culinary treat that few people enjoy often enough.

You can caramelize any type of onion. Sautéeing slowly brings out rich, sweet onion flavor as the natural sugars in the onions caramelize. Start with standard yellow onions, then try other varieties to see which you prefer (red onions add more color).

Slather caramelized onions on burgers and sandwiches, on pastas and pizzas, as a condiment with egg, fish and meat dishes or as a garnish for soups. Garnish mashed potatoes and rice. Toss them into a green salad or grilled vegetable plate with some goat cheese.

Try a small batch with oil and another batch with butter. Then, vary the types of onions, to see which recipe you prefer. You can vary the recipe by adding sliced mushrooms.

NOTE: Once sautéed, a large union results in a much smaller amount of cooked onion. If this is your first batch, consider it a trial so you’ll know how many onions to use next time.

FOOD TRIVIA: Standard onions actually have more sugar than the more expensive sweet onion varieties. Sweet onions seem sweeter because they contain fewer acrid sulfur compounds.
 
 
RECIPE: CARAMELIZED ONIONS

Ingredients

1. SLICE the top off the onion, peel, halve and slice into half rings.

2. ADD the butter/oil to a large, heavy skillet and turn heat to medium-high until it begins to bubble. If you are using butter, note that it can burn if overheated, so keep an eye on it.

3. ADD the onions to the skillet and stir to coat with the fat. Add the salt, pepper and optional sugar and/or thyme.

4. STIR constantly until the onions begin to darken and soften, about 5 minutes. Some slices will stick to the bottom of the pan. If you are having difficulty scraping them up as you stir, deglaze the pan with a tablespoon of water, broth, wine or beer. You can deglaze as often as needed.

5. CONTINUE stirring until the onions are golden brown, translucent and the texture you desire—from al dente to soft—up to 20 minutes. Remove from the stove and add the splash of balsamic vinegar.
 
Enjoy them and make another, much larger batch immediately—you’ll definitely want more!

To make large quantities, take a look at this cooking video.