Monday, January 28, 2013

Homemade Playdough



This playdough used by my son's preschool.  It works really well....not too dry, too wet, too sticky, etc.  A keeper!  :)



1/2 C salt
1 C flour
1 TBSP cream of tartar
1 TBSP oil
1 C water
food coloring



Combine ingredients in a saucepan.  Heat gently, stirring constantly.  When the dough has a good consistency, take it off the heat and allow to cool.  If you want to make different colors of dough, divide the dough and add a few drops of food coloring to each dough ball; knead until color is distributed.

*I added the food coloring to the water portion and made several batches of different colors.

**Also, if the dough is too sticky, keep it on the heat and keep stirring!  You did not measure wrong, just keep stirring on the heat.  I also took the pot off the heat and kneaded with my hands (after it cooled a touch).   I made the mistake of adding more flour because I thought the measurements were off.  After reading reviews online, I realized I had just had to keep it on the heat a bit longer!

Photo Source here

Thursday, January 24, 2013

Easy Cheese Ball




2 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese
2 1/2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese
1 (1 ounce) package Ranch dressing mix
1 1/2 C chopped pecans


In a medium size bowl, mash cream cheese. Mix dressing mix and Cheddar cheese into the cream cheese. Shape the mixture into a ball. Roll the ball in the chopped nuts. Refrigerate covered until ready to serve. Yum!  



Mel's Note:
*You may need to refrigerate mixture for a few hours after mixing ingredients, as the mixture may be too soft to make into a ball unless it has had time to harden again.  


 Recipe and Photo Source: All Recipes