Gingerbread Playdough/Pumpkin Spice Playdough

These are not, obviously, cookie recipes, but they're great for this time of year. I got the idea from Jack's preschool teacher, Ginger. It's fun to make and give away to friends at Christmas, and it keeps forever in the refrigerator. Homemade playdough is more fun to play with than the kind you can buy, and it's oddly satisfying to cook over the stove and watch it come together.

Gingerbread Play-Dough

4 Cups flour
2 Cups salt
8 teaspoons cream of tartar
4 cups water
4 teaspoons vegetable oil
Spices--Cinnamon, Allspice, Ginger, Nutmeg (you'll use quite a bit)
Iusually add plenty of spice so it turns brown. However, you can also add red and green food coloring to make it darker.

1. Mix the dry ingredients together.Add small amounts of the spices to the paydough until it smells just how you want it to smell.
2. Mix water and oil together in a separate bowl.
3. In a small pot add the oil mix to the dry mix slowly stirring to mix well.
4. Cook the mixture for two to three minutes, stirring frequently.
5. Keep stirring until the dough starts to pull away from the side of the pan
5. Take the dough out of the pan, let cool a couple of seconds so you can handle it, and knead the dough until it becomes soft and smooth.
6. Store in an airtight container.

Pumpkin Spice Playdough

5 1\2 Cups Flour
2 Cups Salt
8 teaspoons Cream of Tartar
3\4 Cup Oil
1 Container (1 1\2 ounces) Pumpkin Pie Spice
Orange Food Coloring (2 parts yellow, 1 part red)
4 Cups Water
Mix all of the ingredients together. Cook and stir over medium heat until all lumps disappear. Knead the dough on a floured surface until smooth. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
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