First of all, the cry it out method is horrible from a baby's point of view. If they are voicing a need and you aren't meeting it, then they get even MORE frustrated. Crying is the only form of communication your baby has with you. It tells you she NEEDS something. Babies aren't manipulative!
Second, I'm not sure I can say this without being judgemental.... can you not hold her and watch the news? or a movie? I'm sure this would be less frustrating (you wouldn't have to hear her cry and she would be happier as well!)
Babies go through a lot of things at a lot of stages... it seems like it lasts forever when in reality it is very brief. Try to stay calm and realize it won't last forever.
Maybe she's hungry and going through a growth spurt. It won't "train" her to wake up for a bottle if you give her one to get through this stage.
Maybe she's teething and wants something icy to gnaw on. Try Hyland's teething tablets (they have them at Meijer and Walgreens.) You could do this right before bed as well and it might get her past the "hump" of waking at 15 minutes.
Maybe she is getting an ear ache- there is a horrible cold going around right now (ask me how I know- UGH!) Can you try to prop her up on a wedge so that if it's drainage it will not run into her eustacian tubes in her ears? You can put the wedge under her head or under the crib mattress.
It could also be reflux- is she spitting up at all? I get acid in my throat at night and it's horrible- I would cry too if I was her age! Again, the wedge might help with that.
I would try putting her down earlier too- sometimes being OVERtired means the baby has a harder time settling down. It sounds like if she's falling asleep in her dinner, this could be the case. Why not try a night at 6:30 and try to have her asleep by 7? I would make sure her room is totally dark too- light can really impact babies' sleep sometimes. White noise might help too.
Being a mom is hard- sometimes you have to sacrifice rather than compromise! Try to stay cool though- getting upset will only make HER more upset as well. Hang in there! In a few weeks, this will probably be a distant memory!
:)
M.