Making Gluten Free Play Dough With Charlie

My kids have been kind of cheated, in the play dough department. Eleanore had only played with it once while she was at a friends house, and the peanut butter play dough that we used to smoosh around apparently wasn't good enough to stick in their memories.

I've been meaning to make gluten free play dough for forever.

On Eleanore's first day of kindergarten, we walked into her class room, found her seat, and yep, right there on her laminated place mat, was a little container of play dough. ...and so it began.

I've still been meaning to make gluten free play dough.

And then when she wins a trip to her classrooms treasure chest for good behavior- she picks a little thing of play dough. Well you can't play with that here at home, so...

Again, must- make- play dough.

So yesterday when we were out at the store, we picked up some rice flour and some corn starch- I will make play dough. I will stop sucking at motherhood. Its happening.

First: I needed to enlist a helper. And since the baby was sleeping upstairs and not pawing at my legs begging for green crunchies for the first time all day- Charlie, come help Mommy!!



Ok, so we used this recipe, and it was easy peasy...

-1 Cup White Rice Flour
-1/2 Cup Cornstarch
-1/2 Cup Salt
-1 Tbsp Cream of Tartar
-1-1/2 tsp vegetable oil
-Splash vanilla for scent.
-1 Cup Water, hot but not boiling
-Food Coloring

1. Mix all dry ingredients together in a medium pot.
2. Then add the vegetable oil and water. Mix mix mix.
3. Heat the pot on the stove over low/med heat for 3-5 minutes.
4. When the dough starts to pull away from the sides easily, turn out the dough onto wax paper. Let it cool briefly until you can work it with your hands (mine never got that hot).
5. Knead food coloring into the dough until you get the color you're looking for.



Charlie poured all of the dry ingredients in. I just supervised. And photographed. And reminded him 100 times to keep it all in the pot.



His favorite part was whisking the flours together. And pouring the oil in. It was just after this point that he decided Lightning McQueen was way more interesting, and took off to the utensil drawer, so that McQueen could blow a tire in a funnel?



It kinda looked like icing, btw, while it was cooking on the stove, which made me hungry? Speaking of hungry- Christopher is reheating me leftover sweet potato curry right now, in between watching mythbusters and top gear. But right, anyways-



So I stood there by myself, listening to Christmas music on pandora, sprinkling cornstarch and food coloring onto sticky dough balls, while my 2 year old drove his tiny toy cars through the cabinets and drawers of the kitchen behind me. Your loss Charlie, this is fun.



This one looked like a candy cane, kind of. I had to keep adding color as I went along.



And some of them needed extra cornstarch.



My hands got really pretty though!



YES! There, kids. Are you happy now? I've made you your precious play dough. Get off my case already.



Aaaand while Charlie was pushing Lightning around on a kitchen chair train... I played :)



And then I cleaned :(



But this worked out perfectly, because Elie had early release for winter break today, and this gave the kids something fun to do.



And they, loved it.

So. Thats one of the things that we did today.