Homemade Play-doh

One of my son's playmates turned 2 this past weekend, so I whipped up a homemade batch of play-doh for her to enjoy. My mother made it for me growing up, and gave her grandson his first batch at Christmas. The texture and peppermint scent instantly transports me back into my own childhood. It's a fun gift in that color and scents are endless with this handy recipe. Plus it's just a darn good old fashioned "toy" that's fun and safe to play with...and even eat should it somehow end up in a child's, mommie's or even doggie's mouth!

MHB's Homemade Play-doh
1 cup flour, sifted
1/2 cup salt
1 cup water
3 tsp cream of tartar
1 1/2 Tbl oil
food coloring
(peppermint) extract

Mix all ingredients in a pot, then place over medium high heat and stir constantly for 3 minutes. It gets difficult to stir the last little bit, but stop when it reaches the consistency of play-doh. Some of it does stick to the pot, so don't worry that it's not right. Turn it out on the counter or wax paper and it's ready to go.

We keep our homemade stash in airtight containers in the fridge, and I try to set it out prior to playtime. However, my little guy usually demands it immediately and doesn't seem to mind it cold and less pliable. Once it hits room temp, it really works great with cookie cutters and various play-doh toys. Enjoy!

Food for Thought

Mmnnn! Just made these delicious (and super easy!) granola bars today, and had to share the recipe. I DVR "The Martha Stewart Show" daily and was pleased to catch this particular treat. I used ingredients we already had on-hand, but certainly appreciate the ability to prepare this for others with food allergies. I also used raisins instead of chocolate chips as my little one somehow did not inherit his parent's love of cocoa concoctions. So proud he prefers fruit!

And speaking of preparing food for my sweet bambino, check out the lastest blog I'm obsessing over: Another Lunch. I immediately broke out my cookie cutters for his bento lunches this past week...why hadn't I thought of it before?! My fellow bento-using hometown bestie turned me on to this site and I can't thank her enough. The photos, ideas and products are too much crafty/nerdy fun not to share! Cute waste-free healthy lunches rock!