Perfect Summer Dessert: Chocolate Coffee Trifle in Jars

All this talk of six years and coffee mugs was making me hungry for coffee flavored things.

So, it was back into the kitchen with us.
Chocolate is always a favorite of Peef, who is (I do not lie) one of the biggest chocolate addicts I have ever met in my life. He came from a long line of chocolate addicts, and his obsession has rubbed off on me a little bit over the last 14 years.

Of course, that coffee craving still wasn't letting up. So, I reached for one of my favorite dessert solutions:  Kahlua.

I also reached for the recipe for a great buttery chocolate pound cake recipe that one of our colleagues over at the Butter Blog created.

Layering Kahlua-soaked pound cake with an easy homemade chocolate mousse and topping with a bit of whipped cream was a pretty great idea, if I do say so myself.

And yeah -- we put them in jars. Don't laugh. It's not because we've fallen down the hopeless hipster hole. It's actually a pretty smart idea.

Putting them in mason jars not only makes them cute and transportable, but it also creates the perfect portion sizes -- so you won't be tempted to eat the whole friggin' trifle...

Which you'll probably want to do. I mean, just look at it.

It is, in fact, a perfect treat to serve as the finale for your next casual summer cookout or dinner party. And since the components can be made ahead, you’ll be left with plenty of free time to attend to other important details....Like grilling up the perfect steak. Or searing that eggplant until it's absolutely tender.

Chocolate Coffee Trifle in Jars

©BURP!

Summertime Means Cheese Curds!

What? You didn't know?
Well, you must not be from Wisconsin, then.

For those of us who live here in the cheese capital... dairy is an everyday treat. And cheese curds are the squeakiest of them all. That's why you've got to check out our article in the Summer issue of "Grate. Pair. Share." -- an online magazine showcasing the best of Wisconsin cheese.

Aside from our article, which includes a recipe for a delicious grilled chicken taco salad with seared cheese curds (which are ALMOST as good as fried cheese curds), there are plenty of other great recipes.

Here are a few on our list to try:

• The Berry Smash (a Bourbon-based drink which pairs well with Gorgonzola cheese)
• The Zucchini & Potato Rosemary Pizza (for when zucchini season hits)
• The Spicy Watermelon Salad with Queso Fresco and Tequila Lime Dressing (need we say more?)
• The Grilled Plum & Bread Salad with Fresh Mozzarella (grilled! plums! yum!)

©BURP!

Happy Burp-Day: Let's Drink to Six Years of Burp! Blog

Six years. Wow.
Six years of blogging flies past faster than you'd think.
But, here we are, still cooking up a storm and loving what we do.

And we have only you to thank.

Thank you, dear readers, for reading and interacting.  For hanging tough when we've suffered from recipe block and when we didn't have much to say. For understanding when posts weren't quite as frequent as we would have liked.

We may not have the MOST readers of any blog out there. But, I can assure you that we have some of the best. And we're privileged to have gotten to know you all -- some of you in person, but even more of you online. Thanks to you we have an active Facebook page, a healthy Twitter following, and a blog that we love coming back to day after day.

Over the years, we've run into a lot of people who were amused by the name of our blog, and excited about what we stand for (this makes us happy!). We've also had a host of requests from family, friends, and fans to create a bit of Burp! swag.

Our first attempt was the Burp! t-shirt, which we printed for the first time in 2010 and again in 2012. People loved them, but we decided to do something different this time around.

So, in celebration of our sixth year, we've teamed up with talented local Milwaukee ceramics artist, Kate Riley, to present the first ever Burp! mug. Read more about Kate here.

The mugs are hand-crafted and hand-painted - iridescent black on the exterior, with a flat white on the interior. Best of all,  each mug holds 12 ounces of just about any liquid you can think of -- from coffee and tea to milk or beer.  Beautiful. Functional. And microwave and dishwasher safe.

Mugs are $20 plus $5 shipping and handling.

Proceeds will support MKEfoodies.

Please note that the mugs are hand-crafted in small batches in Kate Riley's studio here in Milwaukee. Right now, we have 30 mugs on order, which we'll mail out as soon as they're finished.  If demand warrants, we'll commission more mugs to be created.

©BURP!