Jan 28 2009
(Not) Baking
I’ve been looking for ideas on what activities (other than eternal cleaning) to do with the Pibler on rainy days when facing the outside world is just too much. I got the following play-dough recipe from a friend, but, being swamped by dishes and other duties, have been trying to get around to trying it for about a week:
2 mugs plain flour
2 mugs water
1 mug salt
2 heaped teaspoons of cream of tartar
2 tablespoons of oil
food colouring
Whizz the first four ingredients to make a thick batter consistency. Add oil, then food colouring. Heat in a pan, stirring all the time, until it all clumps together in a big lump. Knead. Store in a plastic bag.
I thought it could be a two-prong process: capitalising on my toddler’s current fascination with ‘cook-cook’ by getting him to ‘help’ me make the play-dough; and then actually making shapes with it.
I think it’ll be the closest I come to baking, for now. I was recently asked to bake something for the Brighton Stops For Tea charity events during February, currently being organised by several of my ‘mom friends’ to raise money for the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children.
Talking to these moms, I realised I wasn’t the only mother who couldn’t help crying every time something about Baby P - the 17-month-old who was battered to death recently in London - came on the radio. So a few have decided to do something to channel their rage and sadness and bring some positive result from it: mass bakings of cakes and hostings of tea parties to raise money for the NSPCC. I agree that every little bit helps, and plan to help out on the day at my local event, rather than attempting to bake something - I haven’t baked since I was about nine (I think).
