Over the Top: The Grilled Cheesus Bison Burger & a Cheesy Giveaway

UPDATE & REQUEST:  We entered our Cheesus Burger into Dude Foods Ultimate Grilled Cheese competition -- and we're a finalist.  Please consider taking the time to put in your vote for our behemoth creation by clicking here. You will have to ‘Like’ DudeFoods.com (if you don't already) and then you can ‘Like’ our grilled cheese. Thank you!

Some of you may already know that April is National Grilled Cheese Month.  We have no idea who decides these things, but we heartily approve, as it gives us the perfect opportunity to play with one of our favorite ingredients, Wisconsin cheese.

Needless to say, when we heard that Laura Werlin, James Beard Award-winning author of five books about cheese, was coming out with a new tome just in time for Grilled Cheese Month, we were seriously excited to check it out.  Even better, our friends at the Wisconsin Milk Marketing Board offered to send us a copy to review.

We drooled from the moment we opened Grilled Cheese, Please!, which features 50 amazing grilled cheese sandwiches -- from inventive savory classics like Double Cheddar and Tomato Jam to decidedly delicious dessert worthy creations like The Sweetest Thing, a grilled marscapone, raspberry, and chocolate sandwich with slices of melted brie.

Not only is the book a virtual hotbed of inspiration for sandwich lovers like us, but Laura really knows her stuff.  Her grilled cheese tips, which include simple suggestions like using grated cheese to ensure even meltage, and covering the sandwiches during cooking (which locks in the heat and helps the cheese to melt even faster), really make the difference when it comes to creating the perfect grilled cheese.

You probably won't be surprised when we tell you that we didn't waste much time before we started trying out recipes from the book.  Peef was feeling particularly inspired when we came across a behemoth sandwich containing not only TWO grilled cheese sandwiches, but also a burger.  It was so crazy, we just had to try it out for ourselves.
 
And so we present one of the most outrageously monstrous grilled cheese concepts known to man:  The Grilled Cheesus Burger.  Inspired by the grilled cheese-hamburger combination created by Portland Oregon's Grilled Cheese Grill, our version of this delectable monstrosity is comprised of a perfectly seasoned bison burger cradled between two delicious grilled cheese sandwiches.

 The top sandwich features melted smoked Wisconsin gouda and caramelized onions, while the bottom incorporates more smoked gouda nestled between slices of spicy homemade dill pickles. The burger itself is made from locally raised ground bison, char-grilled and embellished with ketchup, a swipe of dijon mustard and topped with locally grown mixed greens from Milwaukee's own Growing Power.

Grilled Cheesus Bison Burger

Since we figured you'd either be appalled or drooling by the end of the post, we decided to give you a chance to take on your own personal grilled cheese project.

Thanks to our friends at the Wisconsin Milk Marketing Board, we're pleased to announce that we'll be giving away copies of Laura Werlin's book, Grilled Cheese, Please! to five (5) lucky readers.

For your chance to win, please read the instructions below. Be sure to leave a comment for each entry (and leave your email address if you don't have it listed on your blog/contact info).   Please note that this contest is limited to readers in the United States & Canada. Contest ends 4/29/11 at NOON (CST).

Mandatory entry (must be completed or no other entries will count):   

• Visit the More Grilled Cheese Please page, take a look at the sandwiches listed and let us know which one is your favorite. 

Extra entries – please leave a comment for each additional entry, letting us know you completed it

• Give us a "like" on Facebook!
• Follow @WisconsinCheese on twitter
• Use the following text to tweet about this giveaway (please leave a link to your tweet in the comments for credit):  
• Grilled Cheese Please! book giveaway - #win your copy @Burp_blog:  Ends 4/29 #giveaway

NOTE:  The five winners will be chosen randomly and announced on Facebook on the afternoon of 4/30 .  The winner will be emailed separately to arrange for mailing of the prize pack.

Full Disclosure: This giveaway is sponsored by the Wisconsin Milk Marketing Board.  Although we were sent a free copy of the Grilled Cheese Please! book for the purpose of this review and giveaway, all opinions expressed in this review are our own.

©BURP! Where Food Happens

Want more? Read Lo's latest ruminations at FOODCrush, her Milwaukee Magazine blog.

Video: Cookies For Kids’ Cancer Bake Sale Initiative

We can do no great things, only small things with great love.     – Mother Teresa

Sometimes, it's the little things that matter. It's the times when people come together for a common cause, when they give of themselves freely and utterly, without regard for the consequences.

It's when they decide to go all out... and make cookies.

Seriously, folks. It's really that easy. This past month, Cookies for Kids’ Cancer announced a call to action for a record breaking month of bake sales in May to honor what would have been the 7th birthday of Liam Witt, the inspiration behind the cause. To motivate supporters, The Glad Products Company stepped forward with $225,000 to match all money raised by Cookies for Kids’ Cancer bake sales in the month of May.  And my good friend Amy from the blog Very Culinary stepped up and announced a call to action for bloggers everywhere.

This video is a part of that call.  Please watch -- and then consider taking part on your own terms. If you happen to be a Milwaukee area food blogger or local baker, please email us at peefandlo (at) eatatburp (dot) com and let us know if you're interested in helping us to organize a local bake sale.  

UPDATE:  It's official! Thanks to the big hearts of our food blogger & baker friends, our Milwaukee bake sale will take place on May 21, 2011 at Best Place at the Historic Pabst Brewery.  RSVP on Facebook.


This video is dedicated to Gretchen and Larry Witt, in the memory of their son Liam, who would have been seven years old this year.

Click here for more information about Cookies For Kids’ Cancer. And here for the Cookies For Kids’ Cancer and Glad® bake sale initiative.

If you are would like to plan a bake sale in your area, please consider registering your efforts at: register.cookiesforkidscancer.org    Have questions?  Contact bakesale@cookiesforkidscancer.org  

Many thanks go out to Amy from Very Culinary and her husband Paul, videographer extraordinaire, for putting together this awesome video.

I'd also like to thank all of the beautiful bloggers who lent their time, talents, and delicious cookie recipes to participate in this video:
Kim @ The Paper Apron
Kristy @ The Wicked Noodle
Annie @ A Good American Wife – Chewy Chocolate Cookies
Ethan @ Tastes Better with Friends – Applesauce Cookies
Melissa @ Alosha’s Kitchen – Oatmeal Chocolate Chip and Pecan Cookies
Lily @ Saint Tigerlily
Rebecca @ Foodie with Family – Amish Cookies
Stephanie & Billy @ Per l’Amore del Cibo – Cream Cheese Thumbprints
Amy @ VeryCulinary – Snickerdoodles with Cinnamon Chips
...and you may have also spied me in the video holding a pan of one of my favorite cookies, Maple Oatmeal Cookies with White Chocolate & Cranberries


©BURP! Where Food Happens
Want more? Read Lo's latest ruminations at FOODCrush, her Milwaukee Magazine blog.