Today I ate six containers of Greek yogurt. Ok, not really. I tasted six different brands of Greek yogurt. You can probably find Greek yogurt in your local supermarket, its become increasingly available in the United States over the past few years (I've been told it's still a bit hard to find in parts of Canada).

First of all, let me clear something up, the Greek yogurt you find in the US is not yogurt from Greece. All the brands I found were produced domestically. Greek yogurt is strained and some of the whey is removed, so it's thicker than typical yogurt. It's dense and creamy, buttery in flavor and higher in fat. But there are also non-fat and low-fat Greek yogurts. You can use the yogurt in place of sour cream, with granola and/or fruit, drizzled with honey or a dollop of jam or preserves. It's also used in lots of Greek recipes.

The good news is, that all the full fat Greek yogurt I tried was absolutely delicious. You really can't go wrong with the full fat versions when it comes to flavor and texture. Choose something that is organic, or comes from milk from cows not treated with rGBH if you prefer.

The bad news? All Greek yogurt is substantially more expensive than regular yogurt and higher in fat as well. You can make Greek style yogurt by draining conventional yogurt (with live active cultures) with cheesecloth or a yogurt strainer. But perhaps you are wondering, as I was, are the non-fat varieties worth buying? Here are my ratings of the non-fat varieties:

? Brown Cow
Almost sour in flavor, the texture is soft, but not very thick or creamy. Flavor is good. Recommended

Chobani
Very thick, unpleasant chalky texture, mild flavor. Not recommended

??? Fage
Tangy, very thick, creamy, very slight chalky aftertaste. Recommended

Greek Gods
This yogurt had the funkiest flavor of them all, soft, not terribly thick and a bit sour. Not recommended

?? Oikos
Creamy texture, mildly tangy and light. Recommended

Voskos
Very tangy, chalky, more like sour cream. Not recommended, my least favorite

Notes:

A tiny bit of honey improved all the non-fat varieties of yogurt balancing some of the acidity.

The yogurt develops a more tangy flavor the longer you keep it.

The percentage of fat and number of calories vary on the full or low fat varieties of Greek yogurt, check the labels.

Greek Gods was my favorite of the full fat varieties. Fage was also outstanding.

Chobani flavored yogurts were very good, I especially liked the pomegranate flavor. Because the flavorings are on bottom, you can mix in as much or as little as you like.

Ready to try?
Coupon available for free sample of Chobani
Coupons available for Oikos, after registering at Stonyfield

Oikos and Chobani were provided to me as product samples, the rest I purchased.

On the TV show Top Chef, contestants create dishes to impress the judges often with limited resources of time or money or ingredients. From a viewer's perspective, the biggest problem with the show is that you can't taste the food. Still I love it. Perhaps it's because I enjoy the challenging aspects of cooking--like every other home cook, I am challenged to use what ingredients I have and the techniques I know, to cook something delicious, day after day, night after night.

Sometimes I wonder if I would agree with the judges. And I wonder how good those cooked-in-a-flash dishes with barely any ingredients really taste. I may never bother cooking something sous vide, break down an entire side of beef or serve 200 guests in one evening, but I'm happy to say I can now duplicate various dishes presented in the quickfire challenges on Top Chef thanks to Top Chef: The Quickfire Cookbook.

Top Chef: The Quickfire Challenge Cookbook features mostly recipes that home cooks can easily duplicate. They don't take much time or many exotic ingredients. Some of them are straight forward like Mia's Bean Salad that's basically three bean salad with a few twists--fresh mint, capers, canned beets and artichoke hearts all served over salad greens. Other dishes are more sophisticated like Jennifer's Shrimp and Scallop Beignets. There are desserts, breakfast dishes, salads, entrees, soups and even a few cocktails. Recently I got a chance to try Jamie's Chickpea Soup and it was divine. It's flavored with vadouvan (or use curry) and topped with a cilantro, mint and lemon zest spiked yogurt.

There are lots of fun features that will appeal to Top Chef fans in the book, little inside peeks at the filming, contestants and chances to test your foodie IQ. Something I especially like are the detailed instructions on some "molecular gastronomy" style dishes and flourishes you can make at home. Andrew's Faux Caviar made from tapioca pearls seasoned with balsamic vinegar and soy sauce is top on my list to try! So too are Stephanie's White Ale-Orange Juice Mussels, Radhika's Kebab Sausage with Tomato Jam and Hung's Chocolate Pie with Bananas.

Top Chef: The Quickfire Challenge Cookbook is just a tremendously accessible and fun book to dig into. It's perfect for fans of the show or anyone wanting to try to add a bit more flair to their cooking. Best of all, you can get a chance to win a copy of this book signed by chef contestants Jennifer Biesty, Ryan Scott and Jamie Lauren along with a salt cellar, a selection of Diamond Crystal� kosher, coarse and fine sea salt, a $25 CHEFS gift certificate, a signed copy of Michael Symon's Live to Cook, as well as Good Eats: The Early Years, Top Chef: The Cookbook and Top Chef Quickfire Challenge Game. How can you win this fabulous prize package ? By bidding on it over at the Menu for Hope campaign.

To bid on this prize package, go to the donation site at Firstgiving, specify prize code UW21 in the 'Personal Message' section in the donation form when confirming your donation and how many tickets you'd like to purchase, keeping in mind that tickets are $10 each and all proceeds go towards the UN World Food Programme. The Menu for Hope bidding ends December 31st, 2009, so don't be left out!

Note: This prize package, worth more than $200, is available to anyone with a United States shipping address.

This week my parent's gardener showed up asking if he could do some work, because he needed money. And by the way, he asked, could he have something to eat? Not only did he not have work, he was hungry. My parents gave him some work and made him two sandwiches, one for now and one for later. They may not be rich, but they do have plenty to eat.

Imagine not having the energy to look for work because you haven't eaten anything. Imagine looking for work anyway. Imagine not having enough food to feed yourself or worse, your family.

In your own community, no matter where you live, there are people struggling to put food on the table. There is no greater gift than to help those in need. Are you looking for a last minute gift? How about making a donation to your local food bank in the name of a friend or family member? Or make a donation to the Menu for Hope and help someone to provide for their family in the coming year. It doesn't matter which prize you choose, because it's not really about the prizes.

A couple of months ago after my trip to General Mills I received a huge box of food--cans of soup, cereal, granola bars, coupons for yogurt and more. I packed it up and took it all to the food bank. I cannot tell you how it good it felt. I'm guessing your pantry, like mine, is full. If you can't give money, please consider giving food to a local food bank.

Here's hoping you and everyone around the world has a very happy and plentiful holiday.

love,

Amy

If Lee had to choose one vegetable for the rest of his life, it would be brussels sprouts. Winter is not my favorite time of year when it comes to fresh produce, but I have to admit, it is partially redeemed simply because it's brussels sprout season.

Like so many other vegetables, brussels sprouts benefit from roasting. They turn brown and the textural contrast of tender and chewy with a bit of crusty crunch is ever so satisfying. When it come to flavor, brussels sprouts are very mild when roasted and can go in many delicious directions. I like them with salty capers, olives and olive oil or with bacon and balsamic vinegar or with chili flakes and parmesan. Think of them like a slightly sweet canvas to paint with flavor. For Thanksgiving I worked on a variation of brussels sprouts with brown butter and hazelnuts. The combination was good, yet missing something. Acid. Just a bit of zesty lemon peel gives this dish the boost it needs.

When making something with brown butter it's important to use regular unsalted butter, not European style butter. It's the milk solids that brown giving food a toasty nutty flavor. You can cook in brown butter or just drizzle it over your finished dish. Either way it's a nice change of pace from my go-to favorite flavorful fat--olive oil.

There are lots of expensive specialty butters available in the store these days. For cooking I sometimes use organic butter, other times European style butter, but either way I prefer to use butter from cows not treated with the synthetic hormone rbST, such as Challenge Dairy butter. Challenge Dairy is currently sponsoring a sweepstake where you can win an all-included luxury vacation getaway to Mountain Sky Guest Ranch in Montana�s Paradise Valley, just North of Yellowstone National Park. Enter before December 31, 2009.

Brussels Sprouts with Brown Butter & HazelnutsServes 4

Ingredients

1/4 cup unsalted butter
1 pound brussels sprouts, trimmed and halved
1/2 cup raw hazelnuts (not roasted), chopped
Scant 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
Freshly ground pepper, to taste
Rind of one lemon, finely grated

Instructions

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Place butter in a small saucepan and carefully heat over medium heat until the butter is melted, browned and fragrant, about 3 minutes. In a large bowl, toss brussels sprouts and hazelnuts with the browned butter, salt and pepper. Place brussels sprouts mixture in a single layer on a non-stick sheet pan (or sheet pan lined with foil or a Silpat). Transfer to the oven and roast for 10 minutes. Toss and continue roasting until the sprouts are tender and browned but not mushy, about 5 minutes more. Remove from oven and toss in a large bowl with lemon rind. Serve immediately.

Enjoy!

I've longed for a Vita-Mix blender ever since I saw them being used on various competitive cooking shows, such as Top Chef and Iron Chef, so I jumped when I was offered the chance to review one. Frankly I was curious to see if I could make velvety soups and sauces like the ones I've had at restaurants but sometimes found difficult to recreate at home. I'm happy to say, the Vita-Mix gave me excellent results. I put it to the test making potato soup, butternut squash soup and mole sauce. I have also made countless smoothies with very good results. You can get creamy textures using a blender but not the super smooth luscious creaminess you will achieve using the Vita-Mix.

At first I thought perhaps the larger size of the jar would make it difficult to blend small quantities but I didn't find that to be true at all. The base of the jar is larger, but the blades are flatter, and don't stick up quite so vertically as they do in a conventional blender. I have had very good results making small batches of things like pesto, peanut butter and even whipped cream. In addition to peanut butter, whipped cream and butter you can also make all kinds of tapenades and pastes in the Vita-Mix.

Because the blades heat up after a few minutes, you can also make things like ready-to-eat soups and sauces in the Vita-Mix, if you like. Personally I still prefer to cook using the stove, but it is a fun thing to try and could come in handy now and then.

Do I love the Vita-Mix blender? Yes! Do I use regularly? Yes, I do! Is it better than my old Osterizer blender? Yes! There is no comparison.

Strengths
Power--First and foremost this is an incredibly powerful machine that doesn't just puree but actually pulverizes. The speed tops out at 240 mph. Little seeds in fruit are blasted into practically dust. No more gritty strawberry smoothies!

Light jar--The BPA-free plastic jar is large yet easy to lift because it is not made of glass. The jar is also is very easy to wash and keep clean.

Size--It's taller but not that much wider than a regular blender. l leave mine out on the counter.

Tamper--The Vita-Mix comes with a tamper to help push stuff down in the jar while you are blending. I hate stopping and scraping and with the Vita-Mix you stop and scrape a lot less.

Design--The sleek design and lack of buttons makes it easy to clean.

Texture--You can get great thick textures from this machine. The included recipes for "ice cream" are really combinations of frozen fruit and milk, but they blend to a very dense consistency when you blend them in the Vita-Mix.

Smoothies--Not only can you make fruit smoothies but you can also make vegetable or green smoothies. Also when you add ice to a regular blender you get a chunky texture, not so with the Vita-Mix. Crushed ice becomes very fine and silky.

Raw--Want to try making raw recipes like vegetable hummus, raw nut cheeses, creams and milk? The Vita-Mix allows you to get the texture you'll want for these types of recipes.

Quiet--You might think it would be noisy, but it's surprisingly quiet.

Weaknesses

Grinding--The 5200 model is not intended be used for grinding grains. There is a separate container and blades for this, but wouldn't it be great if you could do it all in one? If you do try grinding grains you are warned that you may mar the appearance of the jar.

One appliance that replaces many--After using the Vita-Mix for a couple of months, I have to say, it doesn't take the place of my Cuisinart food processor. I prefer the food processor for shredding, and for making pie crust and pasta dough. It does chop vegetables more evenly than the food processor, but I generally don't use either appliance for that task.

Ice cream--Countless videos and recipes say you can make ice cream with the Vita-Mix. You cannot. You can make a very thick and creamy dessert with fruit, milk and ice. But really, that is not the same as ice cream!

Cookbook--The cookbook that comes with the Vita-Mix is fine for learning the basics, but it's not very inspirational. I recommend checking out recipes from professional chefs and bartenders.

Cost--I love high quality appliances, but they do come with a hefty price tag. Is it worth $449? That's a tough call, however it does come with a full 7-year warranty and you can return it within 30 days for a full refund if you decide you don't want it. I think those who will get the most use out of the Vita-Mix are people who either make a lot of smoothies or are interested in experimenting with raw food.

Note: I was sent the Vita-Mix 5200 to review by the manufacturer

Are you or someone you know addicted to Top Chef and Iron Chef America? If so, this prize package is just for you:

Season your way to good taste with Diamond Crystal� kosher, coarse and fine sea salt and put to use that iconic salt cellar you've seen Alton Brown using on Good Eats. Use a $25 CHEFS gift certificate to purchase anything else you might need, then cook like the chefs with signed copies of Michael Symon's Live to Cook and Top Chef: The Quickfire Cookbook (signed by chefs Jen Biesty, Jamie Lauren and Ryan Scott ). You'll also get a copy of Good Eats: The Early Years, Top Chef: The Cookbook and Top Chef Quickfire Challenge Game to keep you busy until next season.

WHY IS SALT SO IMPORTANT?
Perhaps you've noticed a lack of salt or too much salt is often a crucial element in the judging of chefs on Top Chef and Iron Chef America. Chefs like Alton Brown and Michael Symon know that to bring out the true flavor of food, you have to know how to use that simple, but key ingredient � salt. Endorsed by the American Culinary Federation, Diamond Crystal� kosher salt is a favorite of professional and home chefs alike. Its distinct pyramid- and multifaceted-shaped crystals allow for controlled seasoning, provide excellent skickability and give food a natural burst of flavor. Diamond Crystal� sea salt is an all-natural sea salt from the shores of the Pacific available in coarse and fine varieties.

To learn more about cooking with salt, visit Salt 101, an interactive experience where Alton Brown shares culinary wisdom and practical tips.
Note: Alton Brown uses his fingers to pinch the salt, not the spoon that comes with the salt server. You should do the same.

TELL ME AGAIN, WHAT'S IN THE PRIZE PACKAGE?
Diamond Crystal� kosher, coarse and fine sea salt
Alton Brown salt cellar
$25 CHEFS gift certificate
Signed copy of Michael Symon's Live to Cook
Top Chef: The Quickfire Cookbook, signed by chefs Jen Biesty, Jamie Lauren and Ryan Scott
Good Eats: The Early Years
Top Chef: The Cookbook
Top Chef Quickfire Challenge Game

HOW CAN I WIN?
This prize package, worth more than $200, is available to anyone with a United States shipping address. The prize code is UW21.

To bid on this prize package, UW21 or any of the items offered by foodies around the world, here is what you need to do:

1. If you don't want this prize, go to Menu for Hope at Chez Pim or Gluten Free Girl to find more prizes.

2. Once you know the code for the prize you'd like, go to the donation site at Firstgiving and make a donation.

3. Please specify which bid item you'd like in the 'Personal Message' section in the donation form when confirming your donation. You must write-in how many tickets per bid item; please use the bid item code.

Each $10 you donate will give you one ticket toward a bid item of your choice. For example, a donation of $50 can be 2 tickets for EU01 and 3 tickets for EU02 -- 2xEU01, 3xEU02. Remember! The prize code for the Top Chef/Iron Chef prize is UW21.

4. If your company matches your charity donation, please check the box and fill in the information so we can claim the corporate match.

5. Please check the box to allow us to see your email address so that we can contact you in case you win. Your email address will not be shared with anyone.

6. The raffle will continue until December 25th. Winners will be announced in January.

WHAT IS MENU FOR HOPE ANYWAY?
Menu for Hope is an annual fundraiser for the UN World Food Programme. Each December, food bloggers from all over the world join the campaign by offering a delectable array of food-related prizes for the Menu for Hope raffle. Anyone � and that means you too - can buy raffle tickets to bid on these prizes. For every $10 donated, you earn one virtual raffle ticket to bid on a prize of their choice. At the end of the two-week campaign, the raffle tickets are drawn and the results announced on Chez Pim.

THANKS!
My sincere thanks to Chronicle Books, Clarkson Potter and Diamond Crystal� .