Salt Play Dough

A huge part of childhood is discovery and learning.  And let's be honest, who doesn't love playing with playdough.  I love when i make it and get to be creative with it.  This is a great recipe that makes silky smooth dough.  Enjoy it!

Ingredients

2 cups flour
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1/2 cup salt
2 tablespoons cream of tartar
Up to 1.5 cups boiling water (adding in increments until it feels just right)
food coloring 
few drops glycerine (optional- adds more shine!)

Directions:

Mix the flour, salt, cream of tartar and oil in a large mixing bowl.
If you are making your dough all one color the add your food coloring TO the boiling water then add the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients Stir continuously until it becomes a sticky, combined dough
Add the glycerine (optional)
If you are going to color your dough multiple colors then Allow the dough to cool down then take it out of the bowl, add a small amount of food color gel and knead it vigorously* for a couple of minutes until all of the stickiness has gone and the color is well mixed. * This is the most important part of the process, so keep at it until it’s the perfect consistency!*
(If it remains a little sticky then add a touch more flour until just right)

Rainbow Cupcakes

I have seen different renditions of this posted all over the many cooking blogs I follow, I've seen the diet version for Weight Watchers, and the cake form, but when I first saw these adorable cupcakes over at The Girl Who Ate Everything, I knew I would need to try them out. And so today for pre-school/playgroup we made a round of them, and the kids absolutely loved them! They thought it was so cool that all of the colors were there, that was the talk around the table.

Rainbow Cupcakes

1 white cake mix

2 eggs
1 C sour cream
1/2 C milk
1/3 C vegetable oil

Combine all ingredients until incorporated (about 30 seconds). Scrape sides of bowl and then beat on med-high speed for 3 minutes.

Divide batter according to how many colors you are using. I used 5 colors and it worked out to a little over 1 cup for each color.

Use food coloring to color batter to desired intensity. Gel colors have the brightest colors and wont thin your batter. They can be found at Walmart or Michaels in the cake decorating section.

I found a number of ways to spread the batter out some used a spoonful of each color in the cupcake one at a time. The batter is thick, so it won't spread on it's own. A great tip is to set out a little bowl of water where you're working. Dip your finger in the water and then gently spread the batter out. The water will make it so the batter doesn't stick to your fingers. However I chose to use the Ziplock bag method, by putting the colors into Ziplocks and then piping the colors into the liners. It worked out great. Layer each color on top of the next.

Bake them according to the package directions, until a toothpick comes out dry.

Frost with your favorite frosting. Fancy it up by putting the frosting in a ziplock bag, cut off the corner of the side of the bag and you have an instant frosting decorating bag. You could top with some fun rainbow sprinkles on top of your frosting.

The only thing I didn't love was that 1- they were really crumbly when the kids ate them. I think it has to do with the ingredients I used. I only ended up getting 12 cupcakes out of all of the batter, perhaps because I added to much to each cupcake? I think I would try either adding a little more liquid to thing them out or making the cupcakes as specified on the box, or per your usual white cake recipe. Though the sour cream makes them moist, they were super thick to spread! I love the colors and ideas of these cupcakes, and I think that is what drew me to them initially, they are just happy!

Green Goblins

When I saw this recipe on Gourmet Mom on the Go, I knew that I was going to have to make these for Halloween time with my kids and nephews. What a fun little idea to make little scarry goblins. It's a great way to let kids help and show their creative sides. I hope you have as much fun as I did.

Ingredients:
6 C. Kix Cereal
1 package marshmallows (about 40 large)
3 Tbs. butter or margarine
4 drops green food coloring
Wax Paper
Nonstick Cooking Spray
1 package circus peanuts (you need 2 per goblin)
1 can Pillsbury vanilla icing
assorted candies


Put Marshmallows and butter in large mirowave-safe bowl. Microwave on high power for 2 minutes. Stir and microwave 1 additional minute. Remove from microwave and stir in green food coloring.
Place Kix cereal into your cauldron...I mean large bowl... Pour marshmallow mixture over Kix and stir well. Let cool for 3-5 minutes.After mixture has cooled slightly but is still moldable, spray hands generously with cooking spray (otherwise you'll get VERY sticky!). Scoop out 3/4 C. of the mixture and shape into a firm ball. Place on wax paper to harden. After the Goblin Bodies are set (about 30 minutes), place on top of two Circus Peanut candies. Your Goblins are ready to decorate!

Ice Cream Cone Cupcakes

What a fun idea to do for kids, it makes birthday cake or cake anytime so much more fun! Thanks again to the Betty Crocker folks!

	1 box Betty Crocker® SuperMoist® party rainbow chip cake mix
	Water, vegetable oil and egg whites called for on cake mix box
24	flat-bottom ice cream cones
1	to 2 containers Betty Crocker® Rich & Creamy frosting (any flavor)

1.	Heat oven to 350°F (325°F for dark or nonstick pans). Place paper baking cup in each of 24 regular-size muffin cups.
2.	Make cake batter as directed on box. Fill each cup 2/3 full of batter (1 heaping tablespoon each). Place ice cream cone upside down on batter in each cup.
3.	Bake 15 to 20 minutes or until toothpick inserted in cake comes out clean (cones may tilt on batter). Cool completely, about 30 minutes. Remove paper baking cups. Generously frost cake with frosting, and decorate as desired. Store loosely covered.
High Altitude (3500-6500 ft): Follow High Altitude directions on cake mix box. Fill cones about 1/2 full to make 36 to 40 cones. Bake 20 to 25 minutes.

Pretzel Hugs

1 bag pretzels
1 pkg. M&Ms
1 pkg. Hershey "Hugs"

Place pretzels on baking stone or sheet. Place a Hug on each pretzel and bake at 200 degrees for about 8 minutes (just watch for the Hugs to melt). Remove from oven and promptly place a couple of M&Ms on each pretzel, pressing into the melted chocolate. Allow to cool before serving. At room temperature, this takes SEVERAL hours. I would recommend making these the day before you plan on eating/delivering. Or you can put them in the refrigerator to speed up the process.

Ice Cream Sandwiches

This is an easy recipe that you could make with your kids for dessert or even a hot summer day treat! It is way yummy and super easy!

30 of your Favorite Cookies (Whether they be homemade or store bought)
1 container of your favorite Ice Cream
1 C. Chopped Nuts (optional)

Spoon generous amount of ice cream on half of the cookies, then top with the other cookies. Roll edges of sandwiches in chopped nuts if desired. Freeze 1-2 hours until firm. Keep frozen until ready to serve