The map of Lenore Klass' life isn't all that different from most others. It's marked by marriage, children, career and retirement. But one vein runs through that marks the journey as her own.

“;I started learning to bake as a young girl — 9 years old. Aunt Bessie in Wyoming was a great baker, and I spent summers with her. She'd get up early, because it's hot and dry in the Midwest, and she made the perfect pie crust. I learned from her,”; says Klass, a former California resident who retired to Koloa, Kauai.

When she returned home from Wyoming, Klass' lessons didn't end. She also learned to bake cakes from her mother, and she carried a love of baking into adulthood. She's partial to cookies.

“;I spent 18 years as a homemaker, and my favorite thing to do was bake all kinds of different cookies for friends and neighbors,”; she says. “;Then I became chief financial officer for (our family) jewelry company for almost 20 years, so I had to cut back on the baking. But I couldn't give it up. I'd come home from work and bake cookies.

“;Cooking has always been a form of relaxation for me.”;

Klass' lifelong labor of love has led to “;one of the most important things in my whole life”;: making the finals of the 44th Pillsbury Bake-Off Contest.

The bake-off, scheduled to take place Monday in Orlando, Fla., is the “;creme de la creme”; of cooking competitions, thanks to its grand prize of $1 million. Klass is among 100 contenders representing 36 states.

It is testament to her baking skills that Klass made the finals on her first attempt; other hopefuls try year upon year without success.

The recipe that took Klass to the upper echelons of the contest is a chilled Banana-Peanut Butter Cream Tart. Inspiration didn't come from Aunt Bessie or Mom or even her husband, whom she deems “;a great taster.”;

Rather, she says, “;I've always been a fan of Elvis Presley, and I learned his favorite sandwich was peanut butter and banana. I love that sandwich, too.”;

Pies are her forte, so Klass decided on fluted tarts for the prettiest presentation, and in her nod to the King, she selected Jif peanut butter as one of her ingredients. Jif is among a long list of the bake-off's “;eligible”; ingredients, two of which must be used in recipe submissions. Jif also is offering its own $5,000 prize.

Since Klass has been creating her own recipes for decades, it didn't take much time for her to achieve the flavor she was looking for.

“;I call it simple to make and simply delicious,”; she says. “;It took a couple of tries of adjusting the filling.

“;Now my husband is jealous whenever I make the tarts. I make them by the dozen and give them out to neighbors, but he doesn't want to share.”;

Though Klass is new to the Pillsbury contest, she's no stranger to baking competitions. Born and raised in Northern California, she reared her children in San Mateo. It was at the San Mateo County Fair, a two-week-long annual event, that she developed her chops for cooking contests. Over some 20 years, Klass took home blue ribbons for her pies, cookies and cakes.

When she retired to Kauai 14 years ago, she found more time for her kitchen experiments. In 2008 she won Best in Show at the Kauai County Fair, though she mostly enters online contests her husband finds while surfing the Web. In fact, that's how Klass entered the bake-off. This year she also entered a salad contest sponsored by Newman's Own, the Paul Newman salad dressing company.

But her motivation isn't ribbons or prizes. “;What's most rewarding is the compliments,”; she says. “;I love to entertain, and when I do, I try to come up with something original. When someone's eyes light up after tasting what I made, it's all the reward I need.”;

Lenore's baking tips

Kauai resident and Pillsbury Bake-Off finalist Lenore Klass offers these suggestions for delicious desserts:

» Measuring: “;Especially when baking, measuring your ingredients is very important. You're not so much following a recipe as putting together a scientific mixture of ingredients. If you sloppily put things together, the end product is not as good as it should be.”;

» Baking powder: “;Pay attention to the expiration date of your baking powder. Using baking powder as short as a month after the expiration date can result in a cake not as light or a biscuit not as fluffy as it could be.”;

» Pie shells: “;It's hard to make good pie and tart shells in Hawaii because of the heat and humidity. If you bake them right after forming, they become a bit tough. Instead, chill for a few minutes, then bake. It makes all the difference.”;

» Whipping cream: “;The key to whipping cream is to get it just fluffy enough to hold its shape. To test, whip the cream, then tip the bowl to the side. If cream starts to flow to the side, whip a few seconds longer. Test again, and if it stays at the bottom of the bowl, it's perfect.”;

Banana-Peanut Butter Cream Tart

Courtesy Pillsbury Bake-Off

1 Pillsbury refrigerated pie crust, softened as directed on box (or any brand pie crust)
6 tablespoons Land O Lakes Butter, softened (or any brand)
1 3-ounce package cream cheese, softened
1/3 cup Jif Creamy Peanut Butter (or any brand)
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
2 cups powdered sugar
1-1/2 cups firm, ripe bananas, cut into 1/4-inch slices
1 cup whipping cream
1/4 cup Fisher Party Peanuts, finely chopped (or any brand)

Heat oven to 450 degrees. Unroll pie crust; place in ungreased 9- or 9 1/2-inch tart pan with removable bottom. Press crust firmly against bottom and side of pan; fold excess crust over and gently press into side of pan to make double thickness. Prick bottom of crust with fork several times. Bake 9 to 11 minutes or until golden brown. Cool completely, about 25 minutes.

In medium bowl, beat butter, cream cheese, peanut butter and vanilla with electric mixer on medium until well blended. Gradually add powdered sugar, and beat until smooth and creamy.

Spread peanut butter filling into tart shell, building up side 1 inch and leaving shallow indentation in center. Fill with bananas by gently pressing into filling.

In small bowl, beat whipping cream on high until soft peaks form (do not overbeat). Spread over tart and sprinkle peanuts around edge.

Refrigerate 1 hour or until chilled. Store covered in refrigerator. Serves 8.

Approximate nutritional analysis, per serving: 550 calories, 35 g total fat, 18 g saturated fat, 70 mg cholesterol, 300 mg sodium, 52 g carbohydrate, 5 g proteinL