Oatmeal Cookies

Not your everyday oatmeal cookies, the addition of butterscotch and coconut are a surprise. A great recipe for holiday gifts.

Ingredients

2 cups butter
2 cups brown sugar
2 cups sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla
4 eggs-medium size
3 cups all-purpose unbleached flour
2 teaspoons salt
2 teaspoons ARM & HAMMER® Baking Soda
6 cups uncooked rolled oats
1 12 oz package butterscotch chips
1 ½ cups chopped pecan
¾ cup grated coconut

Directions
Cream butter and sugars until fluffy. Stir in vanilla. Add eggs one at a time, beating after each addition. In a separate bowl mix salt, flour, and Baking Soda, then add to creamed mixture. Add remaining ingredients and mix well. Line cookie sheet with aluminum foil. Drop cookie dough onto ungreased foil by tablespoonfuls, about 1 inch apart. Bake in 350 degree oven about 9 ½ minutes. Do not over bake. Makes 100 2-inch cookies. These freeze well.

Classic Baking Soda Biscuits

2 cups sifted all-purpose flour 500ml
½ tsp ARM & HAMMER® Baking Soda 2ml
½ tsp salt 2ml
¼ cup vegetable shortening 50ml
¾ cup buttermilk* 175ml

* May substitute buttermilk with mock buttermilk by placing ¾ tablespoon (3ml) lemon juice or white vinegar (white vinegar makes a whiter product) in a standard measuring cup and fill to the ¾ cup (175ml) mark with milk.

Directions
Sift together flour, Baking Soda and salt into a large bowl. Cut in shortening until mixture resembles coarse meal. Make a well in the centre of flour mixture; add all the buttermilk at one time. Stir to make a soft dough. Turn onto lightly floured board and knead about 30 seconds. Pat or roll to ½ inch (1.5cm) thickness. Cut with floured biscuit cutter. Place on ungreased baking sheet. Bake in 450 °F (220°C) oven for 12 minutes or until lightly browned. Yield - 12 biscuits.

FOR KIDS:

Play Clay

The homemade modeling clay that becomes permanent after drying. Three simple ingredients you'll find in your kitchen combine for virtually unlimited creative possibilities for kids of any age. Great for rainy days, birthday parties and class activities. Since it's made of foodstuffs, it's safe, non-toxic and economical!

And don't forget the importance of adult supervision, especially with young children.

What can you do with Play Clay?
Roll it, cut it, shape it, mold it, squeeze it! Use Play Clay to make decorations and ornaments, jewelry and gifts, magnets and boxes! And more!

Play Clay Recipe (Adult supervision required!)

2 cups ARM & HAMMER® Baking Soda
1 cup corn starch
1¼ cups cold water (add food colouring to colour clay)

STIR together ARM & HAMMER® Baking Soda and Corn Starch in saucepan. Add water and cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until mixture reaches consistency of moist mashed potatoes (approximately 10-15 minutes). If clay is cooked too long, finished crafts may crack.

REMOVE mixture to plate and cover with a damp cloth. When Play Clay is cool enough to handle, pat until smooth. Now you're ready to make fun shapes!

DRYING:
Air: Place finished objects on wire rack. Dry overnight (8 hours).
Oven: Pre-heat oven to lowest setting. Turn oven off, and then place finished objects on a cookie sheet in oven for 10 to 15 minutes.
Microwave: Place finished object on paper towel. Bake at medium power for 30 seconds; turn crafts over and bake for 30 seconds more. Repeat until Play Clay is completely dry. Let cool before handling.

DECORATING:

Coloured Clay — When mixing Play Clay recipe, substitute food colour for some of the water to create fun, festive colours.

Paint — Paint dry pieces with watercolour, poster or acrylic paints. Apply glitter to wet paint. Use felt-tip pens or waterproof marker for drawing and glue to apply details.

Decorative Elements — Many objects found around the house and yard will help create unique Play Clay crafts. Use buttons or coins to imprint a pattern on a craft. Or accent a design with beads, macaroni, leaves, shells or bark. Either place the decorations on Play Clay while it's soft or apply with glue to dried craft.

FINISHING: Protect finished Play Clay objects with clear acrylic spray paint or clear nail polish.

STORING: Store any unused Play Clay for up to one week. Simply place in a tightly sealed plastic bag or container and refrigerate. Do not freeze. Bring to room temperature before using.

Erupting Volcano

Build Your Very Own Volcano and Watch It Erupt!
This is an old favourite that's a staple at Science Fairs—-it's so popular because it's so reliable and easy! You can do this in the sink just to see the 'lava', or make the volcano as directed below.

Remember the importance of adult supervision, especially with young children.

Supplies needed:

cardboard
plaster-of-paris
4 oz. plastic cups
red food colouring
water
ARM & HAMMER® Baking Soda
hand dishwashing liquid
vinegar or citric acid (sour salt)

Making the Volcano:

Step 1: On a baking sheet or other easily cleaned surface, shape cardboard into broad cone shape, using a 4 oz. cup to form the "crater" at the top of the volcano.

Step 2: Use the plaster-of-paris over the cone to form the volcano. Do not get plaster in the crater. Allow volcano to dry completely.

Step 3: Paint or decorate volcano as desired. If you would like your volcano to stand up to repeated eruptions and clean-ups, consider using non-water soluble paints.

Making the Eruption:

Step 1: Mix ¼ cup vinegar (or 1 teaspoon citric acid) with dishwashing liquid, water and red colouring in a plastic cup

Step 2: Put 1 teaspoon ARM & HAMMER® Baking Soda in an empty plastic cup. Place this cup inside the volcano crater.

Step 3: Quickly pour vinegar/dishwashing liquid/water mixture into the ARM & HAMMER® Baking Soda cup in the crater. Enjoy the lava as the volcano erupts!

Explanation:
The ARM & HAMMER® Baking Soda reacts with the vinegar (or citric acid) in the mixture and produces a gas, carbon dioxide (CO2). As the gas is released it bubbles through the dishwashing liquid, creating the bubbly, red lava.

Variations:

Experiment with different mixes of vinegar/dishwashing liquid/water solutions or slurries of the ARM & HAMMER® Baking Soda. Vary which component is added to the crater first, to create different visual effects.