FIfteen years ago, we moved to Napa, got married and bought a condo. We were excited to have Thanksgiving in our first home, and invited over my husband’s parents.

Our house needed work; Mr. Fix-It had lived there, and did some crazy stuff, like 70’s gold mirrors in the bathroom, speaker wire and newspaper for an outlet. The kitchen had wood floor, pink carpet, a bedroom ceiling fan, and an electric cook-top. There was an odd-little oven where a microwave would go.

I come from a big Italian family (my maiden name is Gumina) and cooking was in my blood. My dad was the chef, and I was his assistant while my mom came home from work, put her feet up, and had a glass of wine.

However, I hadn’t cooked a turkey before, but how hard can it be? Well, you need to follow directions, like cooking it 15 minutes for every pound of meat. I didn’t that first Thanksgiving. I cooked it until it looked brown on the outside. It was NOT done on the inside, it was pink! My in-laws were already sitting at the table. I was so embarrassed! I tried to slice off some pieces that weren’t too bad (they were still a bit pink) and put them in the microwave to zap them.

Well, turns out my in-laws were OK but I ended up the next day at Kaiser with food poisoning and an IV in my arm! I found out my husband’s family has a stomach of steel and I’ve got a tender one! Now, I know how to cook a turkey, and haven’t re-poisoned myself (yet!)! "

(Editor's note: This is one of the five finalists in our Thanskgiving Dinner Disaster contest sponsored by Vallerga's Markets. Read this and the other four entries, then vote for your favorite in our online poll. The winner of $100 to Vallerga's will be announced Tuesday, Dec. 2)