Pizza from the Heart -- Straight from the Windy City to You

This year give a Valentine that smells delicious, and is dripping with cheese and tomato sauce. Celebrate the holiday Chicago-style with the help of venerable pizzeria Lou Malnati's: Have a freshly made heart-shaped pizza with a special message on the box sent from Chicago to anywhere in the United States overnight.

These gourmet pizzas, made with the same decades-old recipe as the restaurant's traditional pizzas, can be ordered individually or as part of a Special Chicago Lover's Pack. The package includes a pizza and a decadent cheesecake from Eli's Cheesecake, another Chicago legend, or a fun heart-shaped chocolate pizza from Long Grove Confectionery in Chicago.

"Designer" pizzas may come and go, but true aficionados know that the best pizza around is Chicago-style deep dish pizza. What makes this combination of dough, cheese and tomatoes so special?

First, the dough is patted out by hand and raised up high on the sides of a seasoned deep dish pizza pan (contrary to popular opinion, true Chicago-style pizza does not have a thick crust -- it's a relatively thin crust pulled up high on the sides of the pan to encase the delicious ingredients). Next, the dough is filled with a variety of savory ingredients.

Those who have never tasted a Chicago-style deep dish pizza may be surprised by what happens next. The order in which the ingredients are placed is different than with a traditional pizza: Slices of mozzarella are placed directly on the dough and then additional ingredients like mushrooms, onions and sausage are spread on top of the cheese. Then the pizza is topped with fresh tomato sauce and dusted with a light sprinkling of cheese and spices.

The restaurant has stayed true to the original recipe that Grampa Rudy Malnati helped create in 1943 at Chicago's first deep dish pizzeria, using only the freshest ingredients, including an exclusive sausage blend. The tomato sauce is so crucial to the making of this Chicago favorite that each year the Malnati brothers go to California and meet personally with the tomato growers. The finest vine ripened plum tomatoes are then blended and canned exclusively for the restaurant's use.

Lou Malnati's has been shipping pizza for more than a decade and holds the distinction of being the world's largest pizza shipper, delivering more than 125,000 pizzas every year. The pizzas, which are made completely by hand, are baked, flash frozen, packed with dry ice in a reusable "keep fresh" cooler and shipped via FedEx Standard Overnight Service. Your personal message appears right on the cover of the box. Simply pop the pizza in a 425-degree pre-heated oven for 30 to 45 minutes until the crust is golden brown and the cheese is melted -- then enjoy. One heart-shaped pizza will feed two adults.

Another available gift is the Taste of Chicago Sample Pack. "This package was created to satisfy the cravings of people who miss the best of Chicago food," says Richard Oleff, Director of Marketing. This mouth-watering feast includes one of Lou Malnati's famous Chicago-style deep dish pizzas, a slab of ribs from Carson's Ribs, consistently rated the best rib joint in Chicago; 10 Vienna Beef hot dogs (buns not included), (in Chicago, more than 80 percent of the 1,800-plus hot dog vendors feature Vienna Beef products); and an incredibly decadent 8-inch cheesecake from Eli's Cheesecake.

New Zealand Food

Sausage Rolls Recipe

Sausage rolls are quite popular in New Zealand's bakeries. They are eaten any time of the day as a snack or meal but are most popular at breakfast or lunch. Unlike our sausage, New Zealand sausage is processed to almost a paste consistency. I've created this recipe to come as close as possible to the original while using American ingredients. They are quite yummy and may also be cut down to use as appetizers, with a small reduction in baking time.

Prep Time: 45 minutes

Cook Time: 40 minutes

Ingredients:

• 2 slices soft white bread
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 1 medium carrot, peeled and fine-diced
• 1/2 medium onion, fine-diced
• 1/2 teaspoon ground sage
• 1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/2 teaspoon curry powder
• 1 Tablespoon kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground white pepper
• 1 pound ground beef chuck (80-20%)
• 1 pound ground pork
• 2 sheets puff pastry (17.3-ounce box), thawed
• 1 egg white whisked with 1 Tablespoon water for eggwash glaze

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 350 F. Line two jellyroll pans with parchment paper. Cut bread into cubes and place in food processor. Pulse into crumbs. (This works best if the bread is frozen or use bread that has been exposed to the air for an hour.) Place bread crumbs into a bowl and cover with cream. Set aside. Place ground beef into the food processor and pulse until it is finely-ground, almost a puree. (Do not let the processor constantly run as the friction heat will begin to "cook" the meat.) Place in a large mixing bowl. Repeat with the pork. To the beef and pork, add the carrots, onion, sage, thyme, garlic powder, curry powder, salt, black pepper, and cream-soaked bread crumbs. Mix thoroughly with a large fork, but do not overwork or the result will be tough. Roll out one sheet of puff pastry into a rectangle about 10 inches by 14 inches. Cut in half lengthwise so you have two long strips. Divide the sausage mixture in half and set half aside. Divide the remaining half into two portions. Form each sausage portion into a log and place down the center of each puff pastry strip. Gently pull up pastry sides to meet forming an encased sausage roll. Wet your fingers lightly with water and moisten along the seam to seal the dough together. Cut each sausage roll into 4 pieces. Place on prepared jellyroll pan seam-side down. Repeat with remaining sausage and puff pastry sheet. Brush each sausage roll with the eggwash glaze. Bake 35 to 40 minutes until golden. Let cool 5 minutes before serving.

Yield: 16 sausage rolls

Lamb Dinner

The Roast is one of Australia's and New Zealand's favorite ways

to eat lamb.

This recipe could not be simpler. The lamb is just oiled, salted and seasoned with garlic and rosemary.

The two most common lamb roast cuts are the leg and the shoulder. I used a shoulder here. This cut has more fat than the leg and therefore requires slower cooking.

If you have chosen to use a leg instead of shoulder, simply cook it for 20, 25 or 30 minutes per pound depending on whether you want rare, medium or well-done meat.

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 90 minutes

Ingredients:

• 1 kg (2.2 lbs) leg of lamb
• 1/4 cup of olive oil
• 2.5 tsp of sea salt
• 6 cloves of garlic, cut into slivers
• Several sprigs of fresh rosemary
• 8 potatoes
• 2 large sweet potatoes
• 2 white onions
• Mint Sauce
• Serves 4

Preparation:

1. Preheat the oven to 290F.
2. Cut the potatoes and sweet potatoes into inch-thick slices. Cut the onions in half and then place vegetables into a baking tray.
3. Drizzle the vegetables with olive oil and sprinkle on some salt. Place tray in the oven on the bottom rack and roast.
4. Cover the lamb in olive oil and then sprinkle with sea salt.
5. Use the point of a sharp knife to make small incisions all over the lamb.
6. Place the garlic slivers and rosemary springs in the holes.
7. Place the lamb onto the middle oven rack with the vegetable baking tray beneath it to catch drippings.
8. Roast for 90 minutes. Test meat to see if it's done by slicing it in the thickest part. Remove from oven and transfer to a plate to rest. Cover lamb in foil and let it sit for 10 minutes.
9. Serve with potatoes, onions and mint sauce.

Healty Recipe

Simple Turkey Chili

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 teaspoons olive oil
• 1 pound ground turkey
• 1 onion, chopped
• 2 cups water
• 1 (28 ounce) can canned crushed tomatoes
• 1 (16 ounce) can canned kidney beans - drained, rinsed, and mashed
• 1 tablespoon garlic, minced
• 2 tablespoons chili powder
• 1/2 teaspoon paprika
• 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

Directions

1. Heat the oil in a large pot over medium heat. Place turkey in the pot, and cook until evenly brown. Stir in onion, and cook until tender.
2. Pour water into the pot. Mix in tomatoes, kidney beans, and garlic. Season chili powder, paprika, oregano, cayenne pepper, cumin, salt, and pepper. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer 30 minutes.

Vegan Corn Muffins

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 teaspoons egg replacer (dry)
• 2 tablespoons water
• 1 cup yellow cornmeal
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 2 tablespoons white sugar
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1 cup water
• 1/2 teaspoon salt

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees F (230 degrees C). Grease six muffin cups or line with paper muffin liners.
2. In a small bowl, beat together egg replacer and water. In a separate bowl, combine cornmeal, flour, baking powder, sugar and salt. Add egg mixture, oil and water; stir until smooth. Spoon batter into prepared muffin tins using approximately 1/2 cup for each muffin.
3. Bake in pre-heated oven for 10 to 15 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean.