The Joy of Cooking and Baking...

I have loved cooking and baking for as long as I can remember...

My mother, Betty Tisdale, adopted me when I was 4 years old in 1970, along with my sister, Mai Lara, 6 months old. We came from an orphanage called An Lac in Saigon, Vietnam. My mother met my adopted father, Dr. Patrick Tisdale, in 1969 at the orphanage. My father already had five sons of his own from his first marriage. Four sons who were biological and one son adopted from Hawaii.

We lived in Fort Benning, Georgia the first year after being adopted. My mother had not a "clue" on how to cook. So, she took cooking lessons from a French chef, Chef Marcel, at the country club in Columbus, Georgia. My mother is a very determined woman with such ambition! When she had something on her mind there was no stopping her. The meals were absolutely delectable and impeccable. Every meal had the "entree" and a dessert to follow on a daily basis. As I grew up in my mother's wonderful passion for cooking and baking, I began to take a very keen interest, TOO!

We moved to Columbus, Georgia the following year. And 4 other sisters were adopted from the same orphanage. The parties thrown at our house in Columbus, Georgia were absolutely spectacular and very posh. Christmas was always my favorite time of the year. As I got older, we learned to cook and bake with the same enthusiasm as she did! No complaints there BECAUSE I relish in all those fabulous memories then and are profoundly making present and new memories. And, one thing I did learn from my dad was ..."to clean up as you go along" so that at the end there would not be a BIG mess to clean! To this day, I still practice that very simple rule. It drives my present family crazy to this day BUT it works!

My brother, Sean, who also learned to cook and bake under the wings of Chef Marcel, taught me a few things or two...and more. We made a beautiful cake from the Bon Appetit Magazine cover for a December issue in the 1980's. I was so proud that I did another one!! I feel so fortunate to have the love of cooking and baking that I share that same passion with my daughter, Amanda! She is quite the accomplished cook and baker, TOO!!

I owe all of my cooking and baking accomplishments to my very wonderful mother, Betty Tisdale and my brother, Sean! They taught me to not give up, just keep trying until you get it right!

Thanks MOM and Sean!! I love you both!