Homemade Playdough

I recently taught a class about inexpensive family fun; I sent everyone home with a homemade playdough recipe and samples to play with at home.  This recipe comes from Mom, and it's the playdough we kids played with all those years.

I've tried several different recipes for homemade playdough, and many of them leave your hands salty and the dough dries out quickly. This recipe doesn't do that; it's still the best.  Enjoy!

Homemade Playdough

2  1/2 cups flour
1/2 cup salt
2 Tablespoons alum (find this in the spice section)
3 Tablespoons of oil
2 cups boiling water 
food coloring

Mix flour, salt, alum and oil. Add water and knead to desired consistency.  Add food coloring.  Add more flour if dough is sticky (between 2-4 Tablespoons). Store in a sealed container, in the fridge.

John's "Man" Cookies

 

Step back chocolate chip! Sugar cookie -- tremble in fear! Brownies? You're going down!  John's "Man" Cookies are in the house! :-)

John loves oatmeal raisin cookies, but doesn't see them very often around our house, 'cause Katie and I aren't big fans. Well, one day he had enough. He took over the kitchen and made some big beefy oatmeal fellas -- not only with raisins, but chocolate chips *and* pecans too! These are rugged, chunky...and delicious!

John's Man Cookies

1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup margarine or butter, softened
1/4 cup shortening
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 egg
1  1/2 cups quick cooking oats
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/3 cup chopped pecans
1/3 cup raisins
1/3 cup chocolate chips

Heat oven to 375°. Mix all ingredients except oats, flour, and raisins. Stir in oats, flour and raisins. Stir in pecans and chocolate chips. Drop dough by rounded teaspoonfuls about 2 inches apart onto ungreased cookie sheet. Bake until light brown, about 10 minutes. Immediately remove from cookie sheet.

Makes about 2 dozen cookies.

Granmary's Special

This is one of our favorite special drinks, courtesy of Chris' grandmother!

1 pkg. Black Cherry Kool-Aid
6 oz. frozen orange juice concentrate
1 c. sugar
enough water to make 2 qts.

Stir it all together and enjoy!

Opa's Potato Salad

I have so many memories of summertime traveling from Texas to Utah and visiting Omi and Opa. While we were there, Omi always took us to the park; sang to the monkeys and gave us "tea parties" in the backyard. Opa always made his Potato Salad for us. Since it is kind of a "by taste recipe", I have tried to get as close as I can to recapture those memories. (I will tell you that if you want it to taste like Opa's you have to use the brand names that are specified for the recipe.)

Opa's Potato Salad

6 heaping Tbsp Best Foods Mayo

1 tsp Grey Poupon Dijon mustard

1 tsp Rice Vinegar

1 tsp water

1/2 to 1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp pepper

2-3 shakes of Maggi

8 small Yukon gold potoates or white potatoes

2 dill pickles, seeded and diced

1/4 cup sweet onion, finely chopped

3 hard boiled eggs, peeled and roughly chopped

3 Roma Tomatoes, seeded and chopped

In a large pot, boil potatoes with skins on. The cooking time depends on the size of the potatoes. When you insert a fork, you should have some resistance towards the middle. Basically you want them done, but not mushy. In a large mixing bowl combine Mayo, mustard, vinegar, water, salt and pepper and Maggi. (When I said heaping TBSP for the Mayo I am talking about the large spoons (grown up spoons is what we call them at our house), not the measuring spoons, same with the tsp for the mustard.) Stir to combine. (You should taste a hint of the dijon flavor but not too much) Add pickles, onion and hard boiled eggs. (I put the eggs in tap water, bring it to a boil on the stove, cover it and turn off the burner. Let it sit for 10 minutes and they will turn out perfect everytime.) After the potatoes are boiled, allow them to cool and then peel and chop into bite sized pieces. Lastly add the tomatoes. It is really important to take the seeds out first and also to add them last or it will turn the sauce pink. Enjoy!

German Oven Pancakes

This recipe goes by many names. German Oven Pancakes, Dutch Babies, and my personal favorite -- from toddler Katie, way back when -- "Poofy Pancakes"! She thought they were magical.

They're a favorite around our house. (I try not to have them too often anymore, as they're not too point-friendly, but the rest of the family still wants them all the time.) This recipe makes any cook feel good. What is it about 4 simple ingredients that makes this dish such a showstopper? The picture above was Katie's first attempt. Look at those "poofy pancakes"!! :-)

German Oven Pancakes

1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup flour
3 large eggs
dash of salt
1 to 2 tablespoons of butter or margarine

.

Preheat your oven to 425° F. We always make German Oven Pancakes in a 9x13 pan, but a round pan or skillet can also be used. (Oh, and we always double the recipe. If you use a 9x13 pan, *definitely* double it.)

Place the butter in the bottom of the pan and place it in the oven while it's preheating to melt it. Mix your milk, flour, eggs and salt in a bowl. Use a wire whisk to blend, but make sure all the lumps have disappeared before moving on. (Some people blend this in a food processor.) When you've got your mix ready, pour it over the melted butter in your pan, and place it back in the oven. Bake for 10-15 minutes or until golden brown. Edges will be puffed up.

This are a fun breakfast, and it can also make a beautiful brunch. Katie loves them plain -- just a little syrup for her, but depending on your mood or the season, they could be filled with berries, peaches, or sauteed apples. A dusting of powdered sugar or even whipped cream could top it off. I think Deb and Shauna have gourmet versions of these pancakes. I'd love to hear what they do.

Casual or fancy, you can't go wrong with German Oven Pancakes.

Low-Fat Potato Pancakes aka Reibeküchen

From the time I was a little girl, I remember Dad making Reibeküchen for us kids. I loved to eat it then with strawberry jam on top. My tastes have grown up a little, and now I love it served with applesauce and maybe a little light sour cream on the side. Talk about comfort food! Another one of my memories is of Dad and John and I enjoying Reibeküchen right from a stand in front of the Cologne Cathedral on a chilly spring morning. Schmeckt gut!

This recipe tastes good, too. Give it a try!

Low-fat Potato Pancakes
(3 points for 3 pancakes)

1 1/4 pounds baking potatoes, peeled and shredded
2 egg whites
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 scallions, finely chopped
3/4 teaspoon salt
4 teaspoons vegetable oil

1. Soak the potatoes in cold water 30 minutes; drain and blot dry. Preheat the oven to 375° F.
2. In a medium bowl, combine the potatoes, egg whites, flour, scallions, and salt. Form into 12 pancakes.
3. In a large non-stick skillet over medium heat, heat one-third of the oil. Cook the pancakes, 4 at a time, until just golden, about 2 minutes on each side; transfer to a baking sheet. Repeat twice more with the remaining oil and pancakes, making a total of 12 pancakes. Bake until crisp and cooked through, 5-7 minutes.

* You can prepare the pancake mixture up to an hour ahead and keep it in the refrigerator until you're ready to use it...

Weight Watchers New Complete Cookbook, p. 362