Homemade Play Dough

okay... I know this isn't my usual kind of recipe, but I just had to post it for all you Mom's or grandma's out there. This was one of my favorite things to make with my kids!! I love play dough, but I don't like the kind you buy! It gets crumbly and messy, this recipe makes the softest play dough! I got it from Sarah's pre-school teacher up in Bremerton, WA many years ago!! Sarah went to help my Mom tend my neice and nephew yesterday, and we thought it would be fun to take playdough and take our many cookie cutters over too!! I hope you find this fun!  Oh, here's a hint, the recipe says to put food coloring in the water before cooking, but my kids always argued over what color to make it, so I made it white, no food coloring, then when kneading the extra flour in after cooking, I would divide into 4 pieces, and then add a couple of drops of color of my kids choosing to each ball, and then I kneaded it  a few times to incorporate the color. That way they each got to pick two colors and were happy. It kind of leaves color on your hands a bit while mixing it in, but it eventually goes away, after it's mixed in, it won't leave color on the kids' hands,so don't worry. Have fun!

Homemade Play Dough

Mix the following together in a medium pot:
2 cups flour
1/2 cup regular table salt
4 Tablespoons Cream of Tartar (Look for some in the dollar store, that way you don't use all your expensive cream of tartar up on play dough)

 Combine the following in a measuring cup then add to flour mixture:
2 cups water
2 to 3 teaspoons food coloring (see my hint in introduction to recipe)
2 Tablespoons vegetable oil

Stir to combine all together, then heat over medium heat on stove. Stir while cooking (this will take about 3 to 5 minutes). While this is cooking it will start forming little globs of dough, and look like a globby mess, and you will be sure it's not turning out and that you did something wrong, but keep stirring... it will turn out! When it cooks so most of the "gooey" is gone and it forms a ball in the center of the pot, turn out onto lightly floured surface and knead a few times so it's not gooey (this is when I devide into 4 pieces and add different colors to each ball, then knead each piece until color is incorporated in)
This is edible by the way in case your kids want to taste it, but not very yummy. :o)
When using this play dough, don't forget to have the necessary equipment available: cookie cutters of all shapes and sizes, rolling pins, plastic knives, plastic forks or toothpicks for poking holes for eyes or whatever, bottle caps,...etc.....
Have fun!!