The fact that Dolly Craig had time to enter the 41st Pillsbury Bake-Off® Contest is amazing! This Louisiana-born mother of two grown sons was a Ph.D. candidate at the time she entered the contest. She held degrees in chemistry, chemical and petroleum refining and a master's degree in mineral economics. But she was well on her way to a Ph.D. in Petroleum Engineering and Operations Research.

When we caught up with her last month, Dolly had embarked on a dream she was pursuing at the time of the 41st Contest, “to return to the workplace, if someone will hire a 50-something year old woman!”

She recently joined a well-known company in the oil and gas industry in their business planning organization. “With many new developments pushing the frontiers of technology, it is always exciting to have the chance to learn new things,” she says.

Learning new things comes easily to Dolly. Her recipe, Turkey-Sweet Potato Pot Pies, was developed as a way to use leftovers from Christmas and Thanksgiving in a new way. Dolly describes the recipe as “easy and tasty.” She also says her pot pie recipe is flexible. “You can substitute chicken instead of turkey or carrots for peas.”

Despite the recipe's ease of preparation and flexibility, the real test for this recipe was taste. It was a winner at her home because “My husband loved it!” Dolly still serves this to her family at Thanksgiving and Christmas. “They like it because the flavors are not the traditional flavors of the holiday season,” she says.

Dolly's experience at the Bake-Off® Contest was a special time in her life. “The competition was more fun than I expected. Besides the camaraderie, listening to honorary guest Art Linkletter and his wonderful stories was absolutely fantastic! What a great experience.” Dolly says “Everybody should just enter. Just do it! Make your recipe easy and make sure your family members like it. Your family is the best judge. If they like it, others will too.”

Dolly's love of learning has paid off for her in so many ways, at home, at the Bake-Off® Contest and, as she proudly shares, in her new role in the workplace.