recipe requests

Laundry soap recipe -
There are tons out there and I just started this so I don't know for sure if this is the best one yet but this is the recipe that I am trying first.

1 bar ivory soap (grated up as finely as you can)
1/2 cup borax (found this is my laundry isle)
1/2 cup washing soda (also found this in the laundry isle)

Mix the three ingredients and store in an air tight container. Use just 1-2 Tablespoons per load.

I got this recipe from here and they have other options too if you don't like this one.


Homemade soft pretzel recipe -
I found this in a magazine (don't remember now which one) and thought it looked like so much fun. It was kind of fun to make them and Sam had a great time putting on the toppings but they actually weren't as good to eat as I thought they would be. It all has to do with how good of bread dough you can find (or make if you are really energetic!); we only had one kind of frozen bread dough at our Piggly Wiggly so I had to go with that one.

Ingredients
all purpose flour
1 lb frozen whole-wheat bread dough, thawed
1 egg
1/4 cup sesame seeds
1/4 cup cinnamon and sugar
1/4 cup parmesan cheese

1. Place bread dough on floured counter top or cutting board and ask your child to roll in into a rectangle. You want it to be about 12" by 10" (we did not get anywhere near this shape; our bead dough did not really stretch out or roll out at all!). Slice the dough lengthwise into 12 strips with a pizza cutter (because ours wouldn't roll out we only made 10).
2. Help your child make each dough strip into a loop (same shape as the little ribbon pins, cancer ribbon type shape). Flip back the ends of the loop, crossing them to create the twist (hard to explain but just imagine a pretzel shape and then experiment with how to make it!). Transfer to a lined cookie sheet; cover and allow to rise for 20 minutes.
3. Heat over to 400. Whisk egg and 1 Tbs water. Have your child brush pretzels with egg mixture and top with seeds, sugar or cheese. Bake 15 minutes or until brown. Cool on wire rack.
We did not really like the parmesan one and instead of sesame seeds we tried sea salt and then a really cheesy one (grated mozzerella!) which was our favorite.


We have also been making our own play dough around here so I thought I would share that recipe as well.

Play dough Recipe -
1 cup flour
1/2 cup salt
1 T. cooking oil
1 T. cream of tartar
1 cup water

Mix ingredients into a pot. Stir them up well before you turn on the heat. Heat over medium heat stirring constantly until it forms into a ball. Try to make sure it is pretty evenly "dry" and then turn it out on the counter. Knead until it is consistently smooth.
I added vanilla extract (just about a teaspoon) to mine to make it smell good. You can add other spices or food coloring too. I got this recipe from "My Montessori Journey".

Happy Cleaning/Cooking/Playing!