Mother’s Day is coming up, and I felt this was the perfect time to talk about one of my food idols, fellow cooking competitor Lisa Keys. Lisa and I have competed against each other dozens of times. She won many of the contests I was gunning for, including the coveted National Festival of Breads in 2015 with her Smokehouse Cranberry Cheese Bread. She is also a member of the prestigious group of bakers who made it to the Pillsbury Bake Off three times, which is the maximum a baker is allowed in a lifetime. There was a special ingredient in her cooking that I lacked. Her recipes have always been inspired by those she loves most.
On the culinary battlefield, opponents can be cutthroat, which is a story I will save for another day. Lisa, however, understands that all competitors have a unique story that brought them to the foodie front lines. Early in my competition journey, I noticed how Lisa congratulated others when they won, no matter how big or small the prize. Her willingness to encourage when others attempted to shoot down an achievement was what set her apart. I realized this lady’s cooking is rooted in love, and it shows in every aspect of her culinary prowess. I learned a lot from this remarkable woman, and I am proud to call her a friend.
Lisa grew up in an old-world Italian family, where she learned early to equate food with love. She later learned that food is also a necessary source of comfort through grief. Following the tragic loss of her son Will, a Navy Corpsman, Lisa began channeling her bereavement into a blog called goodgriefcook.com. On the blog, you will see how Lisa is keeping her son’s memory alive through the healing power of food. Visitors should expect to shed a few tears when they visit, but they will leave with a warmed heart. You will also find recipes like scratch-made striped pasta made with ramps she foraged herself and almond frangipane tart with rhubarb from her garden.
While Lisa’s kitchen knowledge encompasses a wide range of cuisines from Korean to French and everything in between, the dishes of her heritage continue to play a pivotal role in her success. In 2014, Lisa became a Food Network Chopped Champion on the Mother’s Day Episode, winning the $10,000 prize. In the first round, she made a meatball dish inspired by her mother’s cooking. The second round was a fish dish inspired by her daughter, Caitlin, and the third round was a cookie honoring her son. William loved cookies, so when she spoke at a Tedx Talk, she baked ‘spirited’ whiskey-infused heart-shaped cookies for all 300 members of the audience.
When I tell people about my own cooking goals, I’m often met with “You can’t make a living doing that” or “That’s just a hobby.” Well, I have to salute people like Lisa, who prove that anything is possible when you find a way to show love through food. Lisa and her husband now live in Pennsylvania near their daughter and grandchildren, where Lisa continues to nourish her family with good home-cooking, like her mother’s recipe for manicotti crepes, which were made for celebratory Sunday dinners. She recently started a second food blog, called joyfulcrumbs.com, where she shares more about the love of cooking her parents instilled in her.
Mom’s Sunday Dinner
Manicotti Crepes
Ingredients:
Crepes:
1 cup whole milk
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/8 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
butter for greasing
Ricotta Filling:
2 cups ricotta cheese
1/2 cup chopped cooked spinach, well drained
1 egg
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
2 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf Italian parsley
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
pinch of nutmeg
For Assembling:
2 cups of your favorite tomato sauce.
shredded mozzarella cheese
Instructions:
Crepes:
In a mixing bowl, beat together the milk, flour, and salt until smooth. Add the eggs; blend well. Heat a crepe pan or 8-inch round non-stick skillet over medium-low heat. Melt just enough butter in the pan to lightly grease it. Pour 2 tablespoons of crepe batter into the pan, swirling to spread it over the bottom of the pan. Cook until edges appear dry, and the crepe appears set. Turn and cook the other side for about 20 seconds. Both sides should be slightly golden in color but not brown. Transfer the crepe to a cooling rack. Repeat with the remaining batter, buttering the pan as needed. Makes about 16 crepes.
Ricotta Filling:
In a bowl, stir together all of the ingredients until combined.
For Assembling:
Heat the oven to 400F. Spread 1 cup of tomato sauce over the bottom of a buttered baking dish. Fill each crepe with 2-3 tablespoons of the ricotta filling. Roll loosely to enclose the filling and place seam-side down in the prepared baking dish. Spread remaining sauce over top. Sprinkle with mozzarella cheese. Bake for 30 minutes or until bubbly.
Yield: 6-8 servings.
Notes:
This recipe was adapted from goodgriefcook.com
