Potato Stamps

 

 

Today's Snack: Make Cheesy Baked Potato Slices. Here's how to make enough for one person, but it's easily expanded for more. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a small bowl, combine about one-fourth of a can of cream of chicken soup, 1/8 tsp. paprika, and a few shakes of pepper. Stir. Take one unpeeled baking potato and wash. Slice into ¼" slices. Arrange slices in a greased baking dish. Sprinkle with about ¼ C. shredded mozzarella cheese. Spoon the soup mixture over. Cover dish with foil. Bake at 400 degrees for 45 minutes. Uncover and bake another 10 minutes.

 

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Supplies:

 

One baking potato for every 2 stamps desired

 

Ballpoint pen or fine-point marker

 

Kitchen knife (parental guidance for safety!!!)

 

Tempera paint, any color(s)

 

(note: some people think if you mix evaporated milk with liquid tempera paint, it sticks to the potato better - so mix one tablespoon of evaporated milk with one tablespoon of liquid tempera paint, and stir)

 

Saucer to hold paint

Shapes to be copied for your design, if desired

 

Paper - construction? cardstock? tissue paper? posterboard? -- to make stationery, birthday cards, gift tags, giftwrap, a poster or whatever you'd like

 

If you're going to stamp on fabric, such as decorating a T-shirt or pillowcase, use fabric paint

 

 

            Potato stamps are fun and easy. Have adult help if you need it. Start by cutting a baking potato in half, nice and straight and smooth.

 

You can look at any design or shape you'd like to copy, or just wing it. Using a ballpoint pen, pencil or fine-point marker, draw your design on the potato half.

 

You might make a star, fish, moon, sun, triangle, smiley face, lightning bolt, horse, dog, shamrock, heart, the number for your age, a spiral pattern . . . whatever you like!

 

Now cut away the background - whatever you DON'T want to show up when you stamp your potato stamp.

 

Cut about ¼" deep. Carefully, using the kitchen knife, cut away whatever you don't want to show. Your final shape should stick out from the surface of the rest of the potato.

 

Now pour a paint color into a saucer, and stamp your paper or fabric (see above) in any design that you'd like.

 

Rinse your potato stamp and dry it completely before you switch to a different color.

 

Remember, you can make two potato stamps from your two potato halves. And when you're done making stamps with those two designs, you can re-cut a smooth surface on each half, and start over! One potato might be able to yield 10 or 12 stamp designs, if you're careful!

 

Once your stamps are dry, you can decorate them some more with marker pens, glitter or whatever you'd like.