I think this might be the first non-edible recipe I've posted (although maybe some might argue that other dishes to emerge from my kitchen can be inedible too...har, har, har...).
Anyone with small children in their life ought to have a good play dough recipe up their sleeve. I don't know about you, but every time we break out the containers of Play-Doh, it's a big disappointment. All the colors have been melded into an unappealing gray-green and someone forgot to seal the lid so it's hard as a rock. With this simple homemade dough, you can overcome disappointment over petrified Play-Doh in a snap.
And, to jazz it up, you can even use Sugar Free Jello or packets of unsweetened KoolAid powder for fun scented dough that even the adults might be tempted to taste a little (it will still be horrible). The only down side to making your own dough is the potential to color your hands in the process, but believe me, if I can rock blue fingers, anyone can!
Homemade (Salt Dough) Play Dough
2 cups all purpose flour
1 cup salt
1 teaspoon cream of tartar
2 cups water
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
4 boxes sugar free gelatin or packets of unsweetened KoolAid different colors, or drops of food coloring
In a medium to large pot, mix together flour, salt, cream of tarter, water and oil. The mixture will look like thin pancake batter. With a sturdy spoon (I used wooden) over medium heat, bring mixture to a boil. It will transform like magic from thin and watery to thick dough. Continue stirring until any wet patches are just about gone. Allow to cool enough to handle. Divide dough into four equal portions and form a little "well" into each portion. Sprinkle one color of gelatin or KoolAid powder over each chunk of dough and knead to incorporate. Continue to knead until color is uniform and dough is smooth.
If using liquid food colors, dribble a few drops of color into well of dough. Knead until color is worked through and dough is smooth. Or, if you don't mind having just one color of dough, you can add the food color along with the water before cooking.
Store in a sealed container in the fridge until it has all been mixed into one single, unattractive color...
I make a half-batch and add the color to the water. I think it makes the color so much more vibrant. Or uniform, at least. And because my husband doesn't like that one hideous puce color, I make adjacent colors on the wheel (blue and green, yellow and orange...) The kids seem to play with it longer.
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