—Nadia Taylor, 30, Mesa, Ariz.

"I was cooking a Persian dish that’s totally easy—eggplant stew over rice with lamb. It was practice for [serving it to] my in-laws on Persian New Year because last time I cooked for them they had gotten sick. But I misunderstood the directions my mother gave me and threw out the broth of the meat after boiling it. I was being overly cautious because I didn’t want it to smell [bad], but I realized it didn’t look anything like my mom’s. My saving grace was that the company I had over wasn’t really familiar with Persian cooking, so they had no idea how it was supposed to taste. They all said, "My God, Nadia, you’re such a good cook.’ But I told my mother the next day and she sounded like she was going to have a heart attack. I served it correctly to my in-laws that weekend, but it has still become the hugest joke among my family and friends."

Diary 2