About Us

Hello and welcome! We are the Brady Girls – Vanessa, Laura, Melody, and Tammy. We are a mother, daughter, and sisters team that began this blog out of necessity, finding ourselves scattered throughout the country. With this blog we want to share with you our love of good times like cookin’ up great food and embarking on new adventures. So come with us as we start this new journey!

Check out our available and upcoming ebooks here!

Food and a passion for cooking, baking, and creating good times with friends and family has been a tradition that stared generations before us. Namely, with our Great Grandma Brady and her mother, Little Granny. Little Granny cooked stews and pies till her passing at the wonderful age of 92. And Grandma Brady, inspired by her mother, wrote down thousands of recipes, cut recipes out of magazines and newspapers, and stored them all in an old wooden library card index box. At her passing that box has been handed down through Brady Girl hands and was also a catalyst for us to compile our recipes into something we could share with everyone.

As we sort through her thousands of cards and our own handwritten recipes, transcribing all of them into the digital world, we want to continue the Brady tradition of comforting those with food and memories shared around the dinner table. It’s what “Cookin’ Up Good Times” is all about!

Here’s a little bit about ourselves:

Vanessa, in her early 20’s, is the brains of the outfit and is based out of San Francisco. She is Melody’s oldest daughter and Tammy and Laura’s niece. Her passion for food and cooking may have been picked up from her Mom, but she has a style and taste completely her own. As a newlywed with no kids, she has transformed into a driven self made cook. A meal becomes an outlet everyday in which to make something new and exciting. She likes to play with ingredients and dishes until she gets them just right, and then changes those standard dishes into something else entirely. Like turning Hawaiian-style kailua pork into Mexican-style fajitas. She may be the youngest Brady girl here, but In her own words “I bring my youth, passion, and technical talents to this family table and am proud of it!” Vanessa enjoys playing video games with her hubby, babying their 2 cats, and being an entrepreneur.

Laura, in her early 30’s, is our Cakery Diva! She is Mel and Tammy’s youngest sister and Vanessa’s Aunt -who in age is really closer to a sister. She has carved a niche for herself and her young family in the heart of Minnesota. An educated stay at home mom that has a love of baking and cooking for her family and friends, she finds herself happiest in the kitchen as opposed to chasing the career dream she once had. While getting through college she worked at a bakery and became enamored with cake decorating when she saw what could be done with just frosting and cake! After diligently striving to hone the techniques. She was hooked. But for her it is not just about a cake or dessert looking good, oh no… “it has to taste good. Taste is everything.” Laura also started these girls on a healthier life-style turning our love for amazing food into enjoying it in moderation. Laura also enjoys spending quality time with her husband and two girls, reading, and keeping up with her favorite chefs on Food Network.

Melody, in her early 40’s, is the quirky yet hip oldest Brady girl. She is Vanessa’s mom and Tammy and Laura’s eldest sister (age really is only a number, right?). While realizing the dreaded “Empty Nest” was almost upon her, and tired of the same old Monday vow that “THIS was going to be the week I would lose the weight.”, she decided once and for all to turn away from the “everyday”, the ordinary, and the mundane. She was not going into mid-life quietly! No way! Her joy of cooking had to evolve with this new way of life. And so it did. Mel brings healthier meals and sweet treats to this bunch of girls. Her home in scenic southern Utah allows her to enjoy her love of gardening, composting, chicken raising, running and hiking.

Tammy, in her early 40’s, is the middle sister of the Brady girls, and Vanessa’s aunt, lucky her :). Well you know what they say about the middle child… but this middle child is pretty awesome! “While my two other wonderful sisters love to cook in the kitchen, I am the one who loves to eat the good food and the first to clean up. Wouldn’t you want me at your house?!” With that said, remember what our blog is about, Cookin’ Up Good Times. And one of Tammy’s good times is going out to great restaurants and eating fabulous food with family and friends. She loves to enjoy great food prepared by other talented people. Now going out to eat can be a challenge. She considers herself health conscious -exercising 6 to 7 days a week and trying to eat as healthy as she can. “You can eat out and be healthy. Just make sensible choices and share your meals. Life is too short to not enjoy it! So when life gets tough, my motto is; ‘It is just another box of hair color and a Diet Pepsi.”

Like us on Facebook!

Follow us on Pinterest

and Twitter