Family Cookbook Spice Play Dough & Other Recipes

24th Annual Child & Family Awareness Month

Child & Family Awareness Month is a time to celebrate children and families!!

This Family Cookbook contains special recipes to make playing together more fun!!

Recipes include:

Play Dough - variety of spices and scents Pumpkin Spice, Gingerbread, Scented, No-Cook, Unscented, Kool-Aid, Chocolate-Scented, Peanut Butter, Nutty Putty & Coffee

Soap—variety of scents Clove, Ginger, Cinnamon & Citrus Spice

Fragrant Orange Clove Pomanders

Scented Pinecones

Salt Dough Ornaments

Spice Jars

NOTE: All recipes are non-edible unless otherwise noted.

Play Dough Recipes

Pumpkin Spice Play Dough

• 2 cups of flour • 1 cup salt • 4 tsp cream of tartar • ¼ cup cinnamon • 2 tbsp cloves • 2 tbsp nutmeg • 2 tsp ginger • 2 cups water • 2 tbsp oil

Mix the flour, salt, cream of tartar, and spices together in a mixing bowl. Add the water and oil to the dry ingredients and mix together well. Transfer the mixture to a medium sized saucepan and heat over medium heat, stirring constantly. The dough will begin to thicken and form. When it becomes difficult to stir and is more solid, remove from heat and carefully knead the dough. When dough has cooled, have fun playing. Store in the fridge to help the dough last longer—this is great for the holidays!

Gingerbread Play Dough

• 2 cups flour • 1 cup salt • 1 tbsp ground ginger • 1 tbsp ground cinnamon • 2 tbsp vegetable oil • 1 cup water

Mix together and knead until smooth.

Scented Play Dough Sculptures

• 2 cups flour • 2 cups warm water • 1 cup salt • 2 tbsp vegetable oil • 1 tbsp cream of tartar • food coloring • scented oils or extracts

Combine water, flour, salt, vegetable oil and cream of tartar in a large pot. Stir over low heat until the dough clumps into a ball in the middle. Remove from heat and allow to cool. (If the play dough is still sticky, simply cook for a bit longer.) Knead the dough until it becomes soft and smooth. Divide the dough into several round balls. Make a small opening in the dough balls and add a few drops of food coloring and oils or extract. Mix until color and aroma is well- blended. Make your sculpture using the different colors and scented play dough. For your sculptures, you can allow the play dough to dry over several days or you can take it apart and reuse the play dough to dry over several days or you can take it apart and reuse the play dough again and again. To store your play dough, use an airtight container or zip lock Baggies.

No-Cook Play Dough

• 4 cups flour • 1 cup salt • 4 tbsp oil • 1 and ½ cup water

Mix oil and food color together before adding to dry mixture. Mix until pliable. Keep in container or plastic bag.

Play Dough

• 2 cups flour • 3 tbsp cream of tartar • ½ c salt • 4 tbsp oil • ½ boiling water • food coloring

Mix dry ingredients together. Mix oil, food coloring and boiling water in a separate container. Stir liquid mixture until cool enough to knead. Knead until smooth. If play dough is too dry, add more water, a little at a time. If play dough is too crum- bly, knead in a small amount of oil. Store in an airtight container.

Kool-Aid Play Dough

• 2 cups flour • 1 cup salt • 1 package of Kool-Aid • 1 cup hot water

Combine ingredients and mix.

Chocolate-Scented Play Dough

• 1 and ¼ cups flour • ½ cup cocoa powder • ½ cup salt • ½ tsp cream of tartar • 1 ½ tbsp cooking oil • 1 cup boiling water

Mix the dry ingredients. Add the oil and boiling water. Stir quickly, mixing well. When cool, mix with your hands.

Peanut Butter Play Dough (edible)

Combine all equal parts of peanut butter and powdered milk. Add a little honey, until it is the consistency of clay.

Nutty Putty (edible)

• 3 ½ cups peanut butter • 4 cups powdered sugar • 3 ½ cups corn syrup or honey • 4 cups powdered milk • chocolate chips (optional)

Mix all ingredients except chocolate chips. Divide mixture into 15-20 portions, place into plastic bags and refrigerate. Mold dough, add chocolate chips for decorations, and eat.

Coffee Play Dough

• 2 cups used coffee grounds • 1 ½ cups cornmeal • ½ cup salt • water • flour

Mix all ingredients until pliable. Add water, flour as needed to achieve a working consistency.

Soap Recipes

Clove Soap The scent of clove is invigorating, and used externally cloves can give relief for insect bites. The pungent oil in cloves is also said to repel insects.

• 12 oz. grated soap • 9 oz. water • ½ to 1 tsp freshly ground cloves (use sparingly, too much clove can irritate skin)

Stir the cloves thoroughly into the melted soap just before pouring into soap molds.

Ginger Soap Ginger soap is lovely to bathe with on a cold winter’s night. The ginger in the soap literally warms the skin, and the scent is refreshing. Some believe that the scent of ginger sharpens and clears the mind. Ginger has also been used as an external analgesic, so people with minor aches and pains may find relief while bathing with ginger soap.

• 12 oz. grated soap • 9 oz. water • 2 tsp. powdered ginger

Mix together the basic soap and water. Remove from heat, add ginger, and stir thoroughly and gently. Pour into molds.

Cinnamon Soap Almost everybody loves the scent of cinnamon, which makes cinnamon soap a good bet when making soap as gifts. The scent is invigorating and a nice way to start the day.

• 12 oz. grated soap • 9 oz. water • 2 tsp. freshly ground cinnamon

Use pungent, freshly ground cinnamon. Stir into the melted soap just before pouring into molds.

Citrus Spice Soap The scent of this warming and invigorating soap makes it perfect for Holiday gifts.

• 12 oz. grated soap • 9 oz. water • 1 ½ tsp ground cinnamon • 1 tsp ground ginger • 2 tbs freshly ground orange or lemon peel

For best results, grind the fruit peel just before adding to the soap. Melt the soap and water as usual, add the spices and stir very gently, then add the peel and stir. Too much stirring will cause lots of suds, which will make the soap difficult to mold. On the other hand, the additives should be completely mixed in for best results. So stir very gently, then pour into molds. (If there are excess suds, wait for them to subside.)

Fragrant Orange Clove Pomanders

• Medium-sized thin-skinned orange • ½ cup whole cloves • ½ cup orris root powder • 2 tbsp cinnamon powder • 1 tbsp ground allspice • 1 tbsp ground nutmeg • fork to pierce skin of orange • ribbon • rack for drying

Creating these pomanders is a very simple process. The most important part of the process is deciding on the design of the cloves on the oranges. You will need some nice festive ribbons as well. Mix the spices before you get started. You can make many designs with the cloves lined from top to bottom. You can criss-cross the pattern, or cover the entire orange with cloves before dusting with the spice mixture.

If you want to keep these pomanders for use in closets and drawers it will be important to let them dry completely. This usually takes two to three weeks. They will need to be placed in a box with holes in the bottom to allow air to get to the oranges and speed up the drying process. You will need to roll them in the spices occasionally. This drying process is very important because if the air cannot get to the oranges they might just get moldy and at this point you will have to discard them and start over. Once they are dry these pomanders will last for many years. You will be able to freshen them with spices or essential oils and they will be good as new.

If you want to use the pomanders immediately you can do that too. Create fun designs on the oranges and skip the spices. Tie ribbons on the oranges and hang. A display of several clove-studded oranges with different lengths of ribbon makes a nice hanging. You can also add greenery and pile into a bowl for a fragrant centerpiece. Scented Pinecones with Glue and Spices

• Pinecones • Glue • Water • Equal parts of Cinnamon, Allspice, Ground Cloves and Nutmeg

Clean the pinecones. Put the pinecones on a foil-covered cookie sheet and bake for 1 hour @ 200 degrees. Stay close to the oven to watch for any smoke or fire from the pinecone sap.

Prepare the glue: Mix together equal parts of glue and water in a bowl.

Mix the spices: Place your desired spices into a plastic bag and mix together.

Coat the pinecones with glue: Dip a foam brush into the glue mixture and paint onto the pinecone.

Add the spices: Place the glue-covered pinecone in the spice mixture bag, and then shake.

Dry the pinecones: Allow the pinecones to dry in the bag at least overnight. Tap them when you take them out of the bag to make sure the spices are adhered to the glue.

Tips: These pinecones can also be added to a fire to fill your home or campfire with a lovely aroma.

Salt Dough Ornaments

• 2 cups plain flour (NOT self-rising) • 1 cup plain salt • ½ cup tepid water

Mix all the ingredients together in a large bowl. Knead several times until the dough is soft and elastic. If it’s too sticky, add SMALL amounts of flour. Allow the dough to rest for 2-30 minutes. Afterwards, roll the dough on a slightly floured surface to a thickness of ¼ to ½ inch.

Preheat your oven to 250 degrees while you’re making your shapes. Use Christmas cookie cutters to make stars, bells, Santas, reindeer, trees … whatever you like. You may also use food coloring to dye portions of the dough, to create designs such as candy canes, Christmas trees, wreaths, and snowmen.

Spice Jars

If you are using this as a gift, decorate with some ribbon and bows. You can also purchase a small spoon or measuring spoon to go with this gift. You can attach the spoon with some string and hot glue so they always have the right tool to measure out these spices. As the kids fill up the jar with the spices, have them smell each one and try to describe what they smell. They can even get in touch with their taste sense by tasting each spice as well.

• Canning Jar • 4 Different Spices • Labels • Markers • Cardboard Strips • Scissors • Hot Glue

Cut 2 strips of cardboard the width and length of the jar. Slide them in to make sure they will fit.

Cut a slit in one of the strips from the bottom to the center of the strip. Repeat this for the other strip starting from the top to the middle.

Slide the two pieces of cardboard together forming an X and creating 4 different compartments for the spices.

Hot glue the strips in place to prevent the spices from leaking into the next compartment.

Slide the cardboard into the jar one more time to ensure it still fits snuggly. Pull out the cardboard and place hot glue on the bottom of the strips and put back in the jar pressing firmly to hold to the bottom.

Pour four different spices into each compartment. The Spices of Life

Did You Know…

Cinnamon comes from the bark of the cinnamon tree that is native to South- east Asia. Cinnamon has many health benefits and can be used to lower LDL Cholesterol, help regulate Blood Sugar and just smelling cinnamon can boost your memory! Cinnamon can be added to many sweet and savory dishes and can even be used as a natural food preservative.

Ginger is native to India and China and has been important in Chinese medi- cine for many centuries. Ginger is very common in Asian cooking as a spice, flavoring and even as a garnish. Ginger is also commonly used in things like gingerbread cookies, pumpkin pie, spice cake and even ginger ale! Ginger has been used as a natural digestive aid and can even help with nausea and mo- tion sickness.

Coriander is the seed from the Cilantro plant. Both coriander and cilantro are commonly used in Middle Eastern, Mediterranean, Indian, Mexican and African cuisine. Coriander is a spice that has a warm, nutty, spicy, citrus flavor. Cori- ander and Cilantro contain antioxidants and have been used for medicinal pur- poses in many cultures.

Saffron is a spice that is derived from the flower of the saffron crocus. Saffron has long been known as the world’s most expensive spice. It is native to Southwest Asia but is cultivated in many parts of the Mediterranean and Middle East as well. Saffron has a rich golden-yellow hue and is widely used in Middle Eastern and Asian cooking. Saffron has been used medicinally for thousands of years and can even be used as a fabric dye!

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