My mother loved to entertain. She needed little reason to throw aparty. She decorated for every holiday, including Lincoln's birthdaybefore it was turned into President's Day. Whoever showed up fora visit was reason enough for her to put out food and celebrate. She was not a gourmet cook, but she loved all types of food. For her, any meal could be an adventure to another country. She loved Chinesefood, seafood, Italian and good old-fashioned American dishes. Overthe years she worked in many restaurants as a cook or waitress andeven owned a couple of small cafés. Mom was also a talented baker and cake decorator. Her signaturecookie was oatmeal chocolate chip (no nuts). She would make dollcakes for my birthday. Her wedding cakes were lovely. She had all thedecorating tools, including round cake pans for the main cake and alarge sheet cake pan. (I still have the cake pans.) She taught me to cook, not by direct instruction but by example.When I was about nine years old, I cooked my own first meal: a toastedcheese sandwich to accompany Campbell's tomato soup. I still loveboth, but now I make the sandwich bread from scratch and the soupfrom homegrown tomatoes.