Candy Cane Play Dough

Our candy cane play dough smells good and looks very festive!  To make it, I used my favorite play dough recipe and added a lot of red food coloring, a few teaspoons of peppermint extract, and red and silver glitter (a few teaspoons of each).  I thought about making some plain white play dough to go along with it, but it will just get mixed together and end up pink so the silver glitter is in there to represent the white in a candy cane!

Here is the recipe:
1 c. flour
1/2 c. salt
1 T. cooking oil
1 T. cream of tartar
1 c. water
peppermint extract (about two teaspoons)
food coloring  (a lot of red)
silver and red glitter (a few teaspoons of each)

Measure the ingredients into a nonstick pot and stir until well mixed.  Then cook over medium heat until the dough pulls away from the sides and forms a ball.  Dump the dough out onto a cutting board and knead it until smooth.  Keep the play dough in an airtight container or ziploc bag; it usually lasts a few months.  Enjoy!

We currently have quite the stash of homemade play dough (pumpkin pie, cranberry, gingerbread, and now candy cane); I think we'll have to get all of them out one day this week and see what happens.

We were able to pick up the book, The Legend of the Candy Cane by Lori Walburg, from the library today.  C, R and I enjoyed the story.  Whether the legend is true or not, I like the story and it is just another way to remember why we celebrate Christmas.  We also got the Zonderkidz video cartoon adaptation of the book featuring the voices of Florence Henderson and Tom Bosley.  I recommend both the book and the video!  They are both heartwarming and perfect for the Christmas season.