That little shoe was just another poke at me feeling overwhelmed with my inability to keep my house clean. The floor reflects our weekday story and the fast shuffles that take place each day.  My son’s underwear is on the floor next to my daughter’s hairbrush, which is next to a U.S. state map puzzle that went unfinished. Plastic parts and toys peek out from under the piano seeking shelter by dust bunnies. I remember the couch was a great place to sit long ago when it wasn’t covered in unfolded clean laundry. And my dining room table is currently being eaten by paperwork.

Calgon, take me away.

Bliss is just a bubble bath and chocolate bonbon away, right?

I think so; I’m all about self-care.

When the day is long, the house is a disaster, and the only relief is chocolate, give yourself a bonbon.

Not just any bonbon, give yourself a Nutella bonbon. I know what you’re thinking. When you need medicinal chocolate, the last thing you have in great supply is time. You need that chocolate ASAP. Stay with me.

There is no baking.

There are only four ingredients.

The recipe is simple.

I can hear you cheering. Cheering is totally allowed.

These melt-in-your-mouth dark chocolate cookies are perfect for yourself or great for sharing (the recipe makes 30). Cosmo called my Nutella Bonbons, “Pleasure Grenades.” I giggle every time I write or say that. Standing in my living room looking through the motherhood chaos, I know two things: no matter how many times I give in and clean up this mess, the mess returns in no time and second. I need to give myself more bubble baths and bonbons.

Nutella Bonbons How To Video

Print

Nutella Bonbons

Course Dessert

Keyword chocolate, gluten free, holiday dishes, kid-friendly cooking

Prep Time 15 minutes minutes

Total Time 15 minutes minutes

Servings 30

Author Alison Lee

Ingredients

• 1 ¾ cup Nutella
• ½ cup salted butter softened
• 2 cups powdered sugar
• 10 ounces bittersweet chocolate

Optional

• sea salt

Instructions

• In a stand mixer, blend Nutella, butter, and powdered sugar until combined. 
• Form into 30 balls. 
• Once balls are formed, heat chocolate, and dip each ball. 
• Once dipped, add sea salt if desired.

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• What Moms Want for Their Kids
  

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ABOUT ALICE: Alice Seuffert is a Minnesota mom, wife, education researcher, and blogger at Dining with Alice, where she shares her food and family adventures. She works full-time as an education researcher for a Twin Cities nonprofit organization.  On her blog, she shares her adventures making creative comfort food, her experiences as a mom, and fun activities like enjoying craft beer. Alice is the Kitchen Star on the Twin Cities television show, Twin Cities Live and is known for her creative comfort food recipes and tips for busy parents.

Follow Alice on her blog | Facebook | Twitter | Pinterest | Instagram | Google+

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Check out these Grilled Cheese Sandwiches adults will love from food bloggers across the country that we love!

 Grilled Cheese Sandwiches Adults Will Love

Jalapeno Popper Grilled Cheese Sandwiches by Damn Delicious 

Grilled Bacon and Pimento Cheese Sandwiches by Dining with Alice

Grilled Cheese with Smoked Pulled Beef by Say Grace 

BBQ Pulled Pork and Smoked Gouda Grilled Cheese by Bobbi’s Kozy Kitchen 

Strawberry Balsamic Grilled Cheese by Betsy Life 

Fig and Cheddar Grilled Cheese by A House in the Hills 

Grilled Nutella and Cream Cheese Sandwich by Say Grace 

Pepperoni Pizza Grilled Cheese by Baking Beauty 

Brie and Blueberry Waffle Grilled Cheese by Damn Delicious 

Chile Relleno Grilled Cheese Sandwich by Cooking Classy 

Sloppy Burger Grilled Cheese by Snappy Gourmet 

Pot Roast Grilled Cheese Sandwich by Dining with Alice

Roasted Tomato Caprese Grilled Cheese by One Sweet Mess 

Grilled Pineapple Cheese Sandwich by The Country Chic Cottage 

Bacon, Turkey and Broccoli Grilled Cheese Sandwich by Hot Eats and Cool Reads 

Thyme Roasted Mushroom Grilled Cheese by Life As A Strawberry 

Teleme Cheese and Roasted Grapes Grilled Cheese Sandwich by Wonky Wonderful 

Ham and Brie Panini by Wine and Glue 

  

Double Pepper Double Cheese Grilled Cheese by Farm Fresh Feasts 

 Strawberry Chicken Salad Grilled Cheese by Snappy Gourmet 

 Caramelized Pineapple Grilled Cheese with Honeyed Walnuts  by An Edible Mosiac   

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Margaritas, sangria, whiskey lemonades and Mosow mules, this list is packed with the best drinks to enjoy this summer.

Over 50 cocktails perfect for summer from food bloggers across the country that we love!

 Over 50 Cocktails Perfect for Summer

 Blackberry Vodka Tonics by Life As A Strawberry 

 Nutella Martini by Dining with Alice 

 Raspberry Moscow Mule by Treats and Eats  

 Lavender French 75 by Love and Lemons  

 Strawberry Sangria by Gimme Some Oven  

 Orange Mint Julep by A Communal Table 

 Watermelon Poptini by Snappy Gourmet

 Blue Hawaiian Cocktail by Baking Beauty  

 Key Lime Cooler Cocktail by Perpetually Hungry  

 Blood Orange Mojito by Cooks with Cocktails  

 Grapefruit Paloma by House of Yumm  

Bourbon Arnold Palmers by Dining with Alice 

 Rhubarb Mojito by Living Sweet Moments  

 Blueberry Basil Lemonade by Noshing with the Nolands

 Sweet Whiskey Lemonade by Life As A Strawberry  

 Blueberry Lavender Fizz Cocktail by Betsy Life  

 Orange Creamsicle Cocktail Recipe by Ann’s Entitled Life  

 Beer-Ritas by Chaos is Bliss  

  

Raspberry Strawberry Blended Mimosa by Practical Mommy 

 Sex on the Driveway by Mix That Drink 

 Watermelon Margaritas by Baking Beauty  

  

 

Hibiscus Margarita by A Communal Table

 Strawberry Prosecco Slushie by Snappy Gourmet 

 Blackberry Blue Nectar Bramble by Mix That Drink  

  

 

Strawberry Lemonade Bellini by Damn Delicious

 Easy Sangria  by Dinners, Dishes and Desserts

 Smashed Bellini Cocktail by A House in the Hills  

 

 

Pineapple Vanilla Bean Martini by One Sweet Mess

 Spiced Baileys Ice Cream Floats by Sweet Peas and Saffron  

 Cherry Moscow Mules by Wine and Glue  

 

Blackberry Whiskey Lemonade by Life As A Strawberry 

 Rhubarb Cosmopolitans by Dining with Alice  

 Lemon Lime Daiquiri by Dinner with the Rollos  

 

Pineapple Margarita by Val Event Gal

 Riesling Peach and Cherry Slushies by Living Sweet Moments  

 Strawberry Thyme Margaritas by Life As A Strawberry  

 

 

Frozen Pineapple Coconut Rum Cocktail by Betsy Life

 Tropical Rum Punch Recipe by Ann’s Entitled Life  

 Watermelon and Gin Cocktail by Baking Beauty  

 

 

Pina Colada Cocktails by A Communal Table

 Spicy Mango Margaritas by Sweet Peas and Saffron  

 Fig and Lemon Fizz by My Diary of Us 

 

 

Orange Mint Tequila Cocktail by Mind Over Batter

 Jalapeno Watermelon Margarita by Spicy Southern Kitchen  

 Chambord Margarita by Iowa Girl Eats  

 

 

Strawberry Gin and Tonic by Farm Fresh Feasts 

 Kiwi Rum Quencher by Ann’s Entitled Life  

 Red, White and Blueberry Margarita by Gimme Some Oven  

 

 

Grilled Pineapple Jalapeno Margarita by Platings & Pairings

 Blood Orange Bourbon Cocktail by The Little Epicurean  

 Tiki Punch by One Sweet Mess

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This is an easy enough recipe that you can make with your kids, plus we love that we only need six ingredients.

To make these pumpkin waffles, Alice starts with a prepackaged baking mix and then adds canned pumpkin and pumpkin pie spice.

While perfect for breakfast, Alice likes to make these pumpkin waffles and freeze them for school lunches and serve them with a side of apple sauce for dipping.

We love that we can check off both breakfast and lunch with this easy recipe!

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Just two ingredients and a quick spin in your food processor will have you enjoying this refreshing adult treat. Alice was inspired to create this recipe with a glass of leftover wine from a party. This is a super simple recipe that can be served at a dinner party or on your next Netflix date.

Alice says this about her Cabernet Sorbet, “As moms, we need something super easy to make and also isn’t it nice when you have something just for yourself. I’ve served this as a dinner party palate cleanser (yes, I’m fancy like that), in my backyard for a ladies drink night and I’ve also enjoyed it in my pajamas, sitting on the couch celebrating the kids going to bed at a normal hour.”

We love the simplicity of this recipe and agree that moms deserve an adult-only ice cream treat!

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Living in a cold-climate state, I always prep a winter survival pack for the car. But I’ve never had one for the summer. Admittedly, I don’t even carry bandaids in my car. Only recently did I even give a thought to having a first aid kit and it was only because I was looking for something in my garage and I happened to find a fully-intact first aid kit for the car. I threw it in my minivan and forgot about it. Just the other day my daughter’s hand had a bad blister and in my attempt to fix it up, guess where I turned to find gauze, medical tape and antibiotic cream? You got it. My first aid kit for the car.

So why is it so important to have a first aid kit for the car this summer? Think about your activity level in the summer versus in the winter. As soon as the sunshine hits, your family is likely hitting the park, riding bikes, swimming at the local pool or beach, going on hikes in the woods and brushing up against plants and trees, playing on sports teams, coming in contact with insect stings and bites, going on road trips and exposing our bodies to the sun.

Winter was a little more quiet, right?

Perfect for addressing injuries at home, the park, field or on an adventure, having a first aid kit for the car is essential for summer. Since I didn’t even have a bandaid in my car, I asked my expert friends and was overwhelmed by the organization and thoughtfulness of these moms. Holy moly. So many things I didn’t even think of, like having a few plastic bags for potential motion-sickness and keeping a tweezer to pull out wood ticks and splinters. Here are some of their top picks for things to include in your first aid car kit this summer.

Everything You Need in Your First Aid Kit for the Car this Summer

Using a small plastic tub, old backpack or large Ziploc bag, assemble these essentials to make your own first aid kit for the car this summer.

Medical Scissors and Regular Scissors

Sunblock

Hand Sanitizer

Ibuprofen

Eye Drops

Tweezers

Bandaids (Don’t forget special Character Bandaids too) character bandaids

Antibiotic Ointment like Bacitracin, Neosporin–especially Neo to Go (THE BEST!)

Hair Ties

Hydrocortisone Cream

Gauze Pads

Medical Tape

Plastic Gloves or Finger Gloves

Kleenex

Syrup of Ipecac

Pressure Wraps

Plastic Bags to use for vomit bags

Cleaning Wipes and Wipes with Soap

Mini Flashlight

Q-Tips

Ice Packs

Whistle

Bug Spray or wipes

Insect Bite Relief Stick

Feminine Products (Tampons can be great for stopping bloody noses)

Ponchos

Extra Sets of Clothes

Granola Bars/Heat-safe snacks

Potty training? Keep a small inflatable potty in your trunk for a quick potty or for those moments when a potty isn’t available.

Need a quick grab and go preassembled First Aid Kit for the car? Here is a First Aid Kit for the Car already assembled!

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The post Why You Need A First Aid Kit for the Car This Summer first appeared on BonBon Break.

The Bacon Chicken Ranch Burgers recipe starts with ground chicken and is combined with smoky bacon, shredded cheddar cheese and ranch seasoning.

Alice says this about the recipe, “Every time I make these Bacon Chicken Ranch Burgers people ask me for the recipe. The shredded cheese inside the patties makes pops of cheese among all the juicy pieces of bacon.”

Alice gives a tip that you can grind your own chicken breasts in a food processor instead of buying ground chicken which is a great money-saving tip!

These Bacon Chicken Ranch Burgers will become a new family favorite because they are so simple and tasty!

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Light, buttery, lemony and just a hint of lavender.  Not too sweet almost buttery savory, this cookie is just what I need when winter has no end in sight.

Do you know what I’m talking about?

Spring. Maybe you’ve heard of it?

In Minnesota, we bounce from one glorious warm spring day to the next day with snow dusting the ground.

My daughter asked me the other day how long winter is in Minnesota. “Well let’s see,” I told her.  “November, December, January, February, March, April and sometimes it has snowed the first week of May.”

Wait. How many months was that?

Seven. You counted seven too, right?

Okay back to spring. Yes, let’s dream of spring and Lemon Lavender Cookies.

These Lemon Lavender Cookies are buttery, light and delicate.  Great for holiday exchanging, but also excellent for baby and bridal showers and perfect for a summer garden party or a tea party with your kids inside while you patiently wait for spring.

Get your lavender buds online here.

Lemon Lavender Cookies

Ingredients:

2 ½ Cups Flour
½ tsp Baking Powder
2 sticksLand O’Lakes Butter-Salted
½ Cup Sugar, plus 1/4 cup for rolling cookies
1 tsp Vanilla
2 lemons
1 Egg (room temperature)
1 TB Lavender buds (see purchase information below), plus additional for garnish (1 tsp)
½ cup Powdered Sugar

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350.
Mix flour and baking powder together and set aside.
Cream butter, 1/2 cup sugar, vanilla, zest from 2 lemons and 2 tsp lemon juice. Add egg and mix. Gradually add in flour mixture and mix until combined. Add in 1 TB lavender buds and mix.
Form dough into two long rolls and slice into 36 total pieces. Roll each piece into a ball and roll in sugar. Press ball down.

Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper and arrange a dozen cookies on the pan.

Bake for 14 minutes.

For glaze, mix 2 TB lemon juice and powdered sugar. Drizzle on cooled cookies and garnish with additional lavender buds.

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While these onions have big flavor, they’re quite simple to make. Alice says, “The pickling liquid is simple for the onions; it really was just things I had in my pantry. The taste is a tangy vinegar onion spiked with flavors of anise and a bite of spice.”

The recipe produces about a quart of pickled onions, which you can keep for up to two weeks — if they last that long. Happy grilling!

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Ten years prior, my feet clicked up and down on the StairMaster. My eyes were glued to the red numbers that blinked calories burned. I calculated my daily food intake, and I knew the number of calories I needed to burn each day until the start of vacation. I skipped meals, squeezed portions, over-exercised, and was cruel to the reflection I saw in the mirror. This is how I used to prepare for vacations.

But this vacation was different; I was much different now.

Months before my own trip, a friend casually mentioned she had 15 weeks to lose 15 pounds before her vacation. I looked up from my book and our eyes connected. She said matter-of-factly, “Sorry, Alice.”

Sitting there on the couch with my book folded on my lap, I knew what she meant when she apologized. I wasn’t offended. I didn’t muster a witty response or spin about the encounter afterwards. It was an acknowledgement that while she knew I was at a place of body acceptance, she wasn’t there yet.

Her goals were for scale numbers and clothing tags. My goals — while they certainly had for many years — no longer focused on those numbers. I wasn’t sorry, either.

Old habits are hard to break.

I didn’t feel above her or better. I didn’t feel enlightened; I was just choosing a different path to live in my body. It did feel odd though, preparing for this vacation. There was no desperation to fit in numerous workouts or reach a particular scale number. There was no deprivation of food. I bought vacation clothes that fit my body, including a swimsuit. A bikini, funny enough — swimwear I hadn’t worn in too many years to remember even.

I spent the time before my trip chasing my life instead of chasing skinny.

I am aware that many women deny or delay activities and events because of body size or inability to lose the baby weight. Some of us spend years refusing to get in a pool or even take family photos because our bodies “aren’t there yet.” These thoughts focus on what others might think, and we let these self-hating thoughts prevail. We miss moments that will never happen the same way again. I know. I was that woman.

It is not an easy path to being willing to live in the skin you are in. Much like hatred of your body must be fed with sabotaging thoughts and actions, loving yourself must be exponentially nurtured.

It is knowing that you are giving yourself grace, not excuses.

It is understanding that our minds have changed and our bodies have, too.

It is believing that body health and strength can be achieved in many ways and that defining what that looks like is solely owned by us.

On this vacation, I reclined in my lawn chair. Ribbons of plastic pressed into my bronzed legs. Brown sugar sand clung to my toes. Ocean water droplets from my recent swim still glistened around my belly button. I looked near my hips and saw stretchmarks I’d never noticed before. Without missing a beat, my mind raced in wonder at whether they were from my daughter or son.

Not ugly, not shameful.

This was the map of me.

I’m 10 years wiser, 10 years more beautiful, and I’m finally accepting the skin I am in.

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During the holidays, oven space is often at a premium. Fortunately, Alice Seuffert of Dining with Alice has come up with a Crock Pot Ham recipe to free up some valuable space in the oven for all the pies, rolls and side dishes that accompany the main dish.

Apple juice, apples, brown sugar, butter, and cinnamon add plenty of succulent flavor to your ham. Alice says this easy recipe lets you “enjoy your company or prepare other dishes for the meal and let your crock pot do all the work!” It’s hard to argue with that.

Take one dish out of the oven-juggling equation with this delicious, simple recipe. Happy holidays!

MORE HOLIDAY INSPIRATION:

• Bacon-Wrapped Dates with Marcona Almonds
• Apple Roses
• Cranberry Orange Gin Fizz 

The post Crock Pot Ham first appeared on BonBon Break.

My fingers tabbed through the yellowed recipe cards in the old Scandinavian recipe box, but the recipe wasn’t there. For a long time, I was disappointed that the recipe had never been written down. I had inherited her recipe note cards, scratch papers with food notes, and newspaper recipes that caught her attention. Absent from the recipe collection was her fried chicken recipe, a family classic upon which my core memories of family were built.

My Granny Alice passed away 19 years ago almost to the date as I write this. I was young, in high school, and not yet a cook. She united our family with comfort food. She was a lunch lady in the local school district and brought the experience of cooking for large groups home to her family. We’d line up assembly-line-style pouring into the kitchen and wait for her to fill our dinner plates with mashed potatoes, gravy, and her signature fried chicken.

As an adult, I found myself living a life that paralleled hers; a love of cooking, a tiny kitchen and sharing comfort food classics to bring joy. I believed that the only way to connect to my Granny Alice was if I held her actual recipe and read her handwriting. For years my mother had tried to teach me her mother’s fried chicken recipe. Early on, I’d learn by observing from the table several feet away, then the next time I’d participate in one step of the recipe. It seemed hard and something I’d never full grasp. Then I started attempting it on my own. I’d send photos to my mom, asking for guidance and on more than one occasion, asking her to drive over to taste it.

Then it finally hit me. I didn’t need a recipe card with the recipe to be connected to my grandmother. The simple act of eating the fried chicken reminded me of her. Every time I made the recipe, every time my mom and I talked about the recipe, we’d think about her, and we were instantly connected.

No recipe card needed; her memory was in our hearts.

The beauty of food memories is that we can instantly be transported back to the time we spent with the loved ones we’ve lost.

Apple cider made with Tang makes me think of Grandma Diane.

Sweet cottage cheese pie makes me think of Grandpa Arnie.

Red Licorice (or as she called them, Swizzle Sticks) makes me think of Aunt Marie.

These food memories surface all through the year, and the beauty is that we can summon the memories with the special foods and instantly connect with those we have lost. We don’t need the actual recipes – the memories reside in our hearts and our hands when we prepare the food that bring back the joy. The holidays tend to be a time when those beautiful food memories surface. How perfect is it that the foods we eat are comfort food classics, because remembering loved ones through food give me comfort. I hope it does the same for you.

READ THIS NEXT:

• The Key to Managing Meltdowns
• Adele is Now THE Voice in My Head
• In Search of James and the White Rabbit
• 10 Ways to Get Kids to Open Up

Read more from the CONNECT posts

ABOUT ALICE: Alice Seuffert is a Minnesota mom, wife, education researcher, and blogger at Dining with Alice, where she shares her food and family adventures. She works full-time as an education researcher for a Twin Cities nonprofit organization.  On her blog, she shares her adventures making creative comfort food, her experiences as a mom, and fun activities like enjoying craft beer. Alice is the Kitchen Star on the Twin Cities television show, Twin Cities Live and is known for her creative comfort food recipes and tips for busy parents.

Follow Alice on her blog | Facebook | Twitter | Pinterest | Instagram | Google+

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Remembering Loved Ones Through Food was written by Alice Seuffert exclusively for BonBon Break Media, LLC.

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