Mom's Recipe Could Be Worth a Million Bucks

A local mom and home cook is one step closer to her million-dollar dream.

Kim Van Dunk of Caldwell was named Thursday the New Jersey finalist in the 46th Pillsbury Bake-Off contest, according to an announcement on Pillsbury.com.

Van Dunk entered her recipe for meatball and breadstick sub skewers in the Doable Dinner category of the competition, and it was selected to be one of 60 semi-finalists by Pillsbury's test kitchens.

The public voted for their favorites and now Van Dunk will compete for the $1 million grand prize in Las Vegas this November.

"I have to admit that I am very surprised and humbled," she said Thursday.

The recipe uses Pillsbury breadstick dough interlaced with Van Dunk’s spinach and turkey meatballs on skewers and topped with mozzarella cheese. The skewers are accompanied with tomato sauce for dipping.

So what would she do with all that dough?

Van Dunk said she would save for her three sons' college costs, and buy a house. 

"The money we had saved went to medical expenses for my Lyme disease," she said.

Another priority would be to give back.

"We always give away 10 percent of money to our church and other ministries and causes we support," she said. "I suppose $50,000 for 20 years would allow us to give away a lot more."  

See Van Dunk's recipe here and read more about her Pillsbury Bake-Off experience.