For the ninth straight year, October is Dining Month on OnMilwaukee, presented by the restaurants of Potawatomi Hotel & Casino. All month, we're stuffed with restaurant reviews, dining guides, delectable features, chef profiles and unique articles on everything food, as well as voting for your "Best of Dining 2015."

This recipe by was submitted by Jennifer Adams as an entry to the Dine In & Win Big Contest brought to you by our partners at Steinhafels.

Vote for your favorite recipe Oct. 29-Nov. 5, 2015.  The winner will receive a special grand prize package including a $3,000 gift card good towards any purchase of dining room furniture, as well as a meal for four – cooked in your home – by "MasterChef" contestant Katrina Kozar. All food for the dinner will be provided by Sendik's Food Market, your trusted, local grocer.

Touchdown Trifle

Celebrate your team’s victory with the Touchdown Trifle. At first glance, this dish appears to be a pot of homemade chili. Score the game winning point when your family and friends learn it is really a sweet dessert! – Jennifer Adams

Supplies:

2 quart pot or baking dish, something you may normally serve chili in!
1 box Boston Baked Beans candy coated peanuts (7 ounces)
3 Ferrero Rocher chocolates, crumbled
1 jar Door County chopped cherry preserves (10 ounces)
2 pieces green licorice, cut into small pieces
12 chocolate stout cupcakes, removed from liners (recipe below)
blackstrap buttercream frosting (recipe below)

To Assemble:

• Using six of the cupcakes, create a layer of cake on the bottom of the pan. Feel free to break them into pieces to fill in any spaces.

• Coat the cupcakes with layer of frosting. I make my layers about ½ inch thick; feel free to use less or more, based on your preference.

• Create another layer of cupcakes on top of the frosting, just like in step one.

• Heat the cherry preserves in the microwave for about 45 seconds until warm. Stir until smooth and pour the warm preserves over the top of the cupcakes in an even coat. Smooth with the back of a spoon, if needed.

• Sprinkle the Boston Baked Bean Candy over the jam to add the "beans" to your chili; sprinkle the crumbled Ferrero Rocher Chocolates over the top for the "meat". Add a dollop of Blackstrap Buttercream Frosting for "sour cream". Finish by adding the small pieces of green licorice for "green onion".

• Use a large spoon to serve up your touchdown trifle into bowls.

Chocolate Stout Cupcakes

Recipe makes 12 cupcakes

½ cup milk
1 tsp apple cider vinegar
½ cup dark beer (i.e. stout, porter, etc.)
¾ cup evaporated cane sugar
1/3 cup canola oil
1 ½ tsp vanilla extract
1 cup unbleached all purpose flour
1/3 cup Dutch-processed cocoa powder
¾ tsp baking soda
½ tsp baking powder
¼ tsp salt

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line muffin tin with liners.

In a large bowl, whisk milk and vinegar and set aside for three minutes. Gently mix in the dark beer. Add the sugar, oil and vanilla extract to the milk/vinegar mixture; beat until frothy.

Sift the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder and salt together into a separate bowl.

Add half of the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and whisk until combined. Repeat with the remaining dry ingredients. When your batter is lump free, you’re ready to fill the liners!

Fill liners three quarters of the way with batter. Bake for 18 minutes, turning the tin halfway through baking. Test with a toothpick in the center; if clean, the cupcakes are ready. Transfer the cupcakes to a wire rack until cooled completely.

Blackstrap Buttercream Frosting

Ingredients:
1 cup butter, softened
3 ½ cups confectioner’s sugar, sifted
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp Bittercube Blackstrap Bitters
1 T heavy cream

Instructions:

Beat the butter until creamy (approximately three minutes).

Add the powdered sugar gradually, scraping the sides of the bowl in between additions. Beat until all sugar is combined.

Add the vanilla, bitters and heavy cream; beat another 5 to 7 minutes until fluffy.