Home-made Play-dough

Knock, knock!  Hello everyone. For those of you still here, I just had to share something I made today.  No need for long precursors or apologies, right?  What's a few months between bloggy friends? (Granted, the seven-year-old mentioned in the profile is now NINE! but whatevs.  Not whatevs that my little girl is growing up, whatevs that, oh never mind ...)

Okay, so this morning we ran out of Play-doh.
No, we didn't run out. We had lots.
But every tub lid opened to reveal gross, dry, crumbly (moldy?) former Play-doh.
Here's the thing though.  Even if you have a good supply of the commercial stuff (because your children actually cover their stuff instead of letting it air-dry) do try this recipe.  It will DAZZLE your family.  Not just the two-year-old you made it for.  The five of us were standing at the counter playing with the stuff.  They kept looking at me in utter awe ... like they just found out I had graduated from Hogwarts - with honors!

Home-made Play-doh*

1 cup flour
1 cup water
3T salt
1T oil
2t Cream of Tartar

1. Mix all the ingredients in a medium saucepan until it's smooth
2. Once smooth, heat on low and keep mixing until it forms a jagged clump
3. Slap it on the counter and start to knead it. Don't worry if it sticks to the counter, as it cools and you keep kneading it will start to stick together
4. In a few minutes, prepare for ...

Each batch makes a big ball.  This is a chubby toddler hand that cannot quite pick up the whole thing.  But lest you think this stuff is for babies...

Snail races!

I don't know how long it will keep, but it's super moist.  I'm just going to wrap it in kitchen wrap and stick it in a ziploc bag.  However, I am looking forward to making some more.  The oohs and aahs never get old!

*(this is not my invention, it's a mix of a bunch of different recipes from online)