Realy dumb question

I was thinking about posting this in sewing and quilting but really didn't know where to go with it. 30 some years ago there was a product called Woolite for fine/delicate washables. I went to the store a little bit ago and couldn't find it and the girl had no idea what I was talking about. I suspect it's not for sale any longer or else Target doesn't carry it. I have 3 silk sweaters in an assortment of pastel colors that were given to me as gifts. Do they have to go to the dry cleaners or can I just hand wash them in some sort of a new product that is out there that I evidently don't know about and lay them flat. I know that I once washed a silk sweater and dried it and it ended up being a size that would fit on a Barbie doll so if I have to break down and drive them over to the dry cleaners, I will.

While I'm at it, I have a few skirts made out of rayon and one or two blouses. I bought them myself without checking the tags. I hate that stuff. Anyway to wash rayon without it shrinking or does that definitely have to go to the dry cleaners?

Hi Eq,

I am the world's worst about washing dry clean only items, and to date
have had but two items ruined because of it, both due to colors bleeding.
If it is white and another color such as red or blue, I have learned to give
it to the cleaners.

As for the sweaters, I have even been known to wash them in the machine,
but turn them inside out and use the most gentle cycle the machine offers. If
it does not offer gentle, a hand washing indeed.

Bummer you can't find Woolite, seems like I bought a bottle at W-mart not so
many years ago. They also sell that new stuff called DRYEL or something like
that, which is supposed to be just like dry cleaning in your own dryer. Mind you,
it is not cheap, but if you dry clean a lot, it will likely pay for itself in the long run.

Dry cleaning is SO high, my gosh. It's like paying for your clothes all over again.
If I can wash it, I do. If it requires a great deal of ironing, forget it, it is sent to
the cleaners. Wash, press and starch for shirts runs $1.75. Sweaters are four
bucks, so we try not to buy too many of them.

I don't seem to have a problem with rayon shrinking unless it is washed in
warm or hot water. Cool water and an air dry, then it's off to a hanger with a good
dose of Downy Wrinkle Reducer. LOVE that stuff!

KM

Remember there no such thing as a dumb question..(said over and over again to me in science class)..Woolite is still around. They have a website woolite.com. there you could probably contact them and find out where it's sold in your area. After buying rayon a few times and throwing away the Barbie outfits..I don't buy it anymore. If a fabric feels really good to the touch..it's rayon; pull your hand back and walk away slowing.
My dumb question..how do you hyper-link...as in woolite.com?

Hi ladies,

Here is the link:

http://www.woolite.com/

Sac,

Not a dumb question either. :-)

You can either hand type the link directly, using the http address, or
you can visit the website in another windown, then copy and paste it
here, Dave's turns it into an active link without the need for any a href = stuff.

:-) KM

We have a service that comes and picks up my husband's dress shirts and pants once every two weeks. I think they charge us $2.25 a piece for his shirts with light starch. I don't know what they charge us for the pants because I've never paid attention but I WILL NOT IRON. I do not like ironing and I never have. The heat from the iron makes me want to throw it out a window. We have an iron here but it is used for crafts and such. I can call them and see if they do sweaters but I think this is mostly a laundry service not a dry cleaning service. I know that one time I really got behind with laundry and was so irritated that I called them up. They had some sort of a price per pound. It was a big relief to get caught up by letting them come by and pick it all up. I had so much laundry the entire entryway to the house was loaded and you know something, I wasn't embarrassed in the least. It all came back folded too; pants, towels, sheets, blankets, underwear, everything came back folded. Not a practice I want to get into because it was expensive but when you're sick, the kids are getting sick one after the next, the husband is sick, you're working full time and everyone is out of clean underwear... it worked.

So Woolite is still out there. Good. I'll try WalMart. I usually go to WalMart anyway but the Target was in the area of where I was this morning.

Not familiar with Downey Wrinkle Reducer. I'll try that.

Maybe that's what I did wrong with the Rayon before, I keep my washer set to a warm wash and cold rinse for everything.

I've wrecked clothing from reds bleeding. Been there done that.

Let me see if I can pick up some Woolite and try washing one of the sweaters. If it doesn't work, I'll call the Dry Cleaners and see what they charge and let them do the others. I think I'll pass on the Dryel because I don't want chemicals in my house. The Dry Cleaners is only about a half hour a way if I have to go. I'll call them and ask what they charge for a sweater.

Here's my take on this, who buys silk anything these days??? Movie Stars??? Silk seems awfully impractical with our wash and wear lifestyles. Save thing for rayon. What an impractical fabric. I wouldn't have bought any of those clothing articles if I had had the presence of mind to check the tags.

Want to know what's really dumb? Starting a thread and spelling really with only one l instead of 2. I had to laugh at that.

LOL, aw shucks. We didn't notice.

;-)

Yaa, right ;)

I thought it was pretty funny.

I think it is a shame that clerks don't know about common products like woolite. I was in the store the other day looking at honeydew melons. The girl in the produce was asking me about what they were, she had never seen them before. I repeat, she worked in produce. Then the clerk at the checkout didn't know what it was and asked me. DH looked at her and said "honeydew, like a honeydo list for a husband." She never heard of that either.
Now...these two ladies have jobs...and I don't and am job hunting. This depresses me.
No wonder...I am getting old and grumpy.

Unfortunately this is more of a comment on her parents. We have kids who spend the night here quite frequently and I often wonder what their parents feed them. Do people live on fast food these days? I kid you not most of the kids who spend the night have no idea what a kiwi, cantaloupe, or mango is. I've had some kids who didn't know grapes came in a color other than celery green and one kid who asked me if a pear was more for decoration than eating. A pear? Decoration? I'm not exactly a Martha Stewart type and if I stick anything in that big fruit bowl it's to be eaten not to look pretty. I thought a pear was a pretty common fruit isn't like a peach isn't it? Others have been hesitant to taste star fruit or guava. I guess when their parents bought fruit it was all apples, oranges, green grapes, and bananas. Ours will eat just about anything but are on a cherry and mango kick right now. They love honeydew melons. About vegetables- I can't count how many kids won't eat anything other than peas and corn. Shame.

Silk and rayon are both natural fibers so you should be able to wash them with shampoo. Put a drop of water on the inside part of the hem or seam and notice if it puckers up. If it does dry clean it. I know with rayon that it can shrink and wrinkle but it doesn't have to be dry cleaned. If it has acetate in it you will have to dry clean it. Silk can be hand washed or in the washer on a delicate cycle. I wouldn't put them in the dryer either.

I'm pretty sure it's the acetate that will make a fabric shrink up to miniature size.

We were in Fred's in Bolivar, TN yesterday looking for copper pot scrubbers (Chore Boy). The stocking clerk nor the manager (both in 20's) knew what we were talking about. My hus. had been in there on Sat. and had seen them but didn't know I wanted some. He just couldn't remembere what aisle it was on. After looking up and down the aisles we finally found them with the mops. When we told the mgr. his response was - "Oh, you wanted scrounges". I personally, have never heard the pot scrubbers called "scrounges". That is a new one for me and apparently it was a new word for the manager.

My hus. had a guy ask him one time what turnips were and how you ate them. Then another time we were in a Krogers in Corinth, MS and a young woman asked us what kiwis were and how to serve them. These people have been deprived of some of the good things in their lifetime.

Tonight I am cooking fresh greenbeans with red potatoes, corn on the cob, cornbread, served with fresh cukes and tomatoes out of our garden. Going to throw in a handful of black olives also. Rainbow sherbert for dessert.

Acetate! That's another one I won't knowing buy either. That IS the worst of the worst. Who ever invented that fabric should be sentenced to pay our dry cleaning bills! I've got Johnson's Baby Shampoo here. We use it on the dogs. If I can't get the Woolite at WalMart, I'll use that. Thanks for mentioning it.

For dinner we had a tossed salad with little chunks of feta and olives, honeydew, asparagus, and chicken legs and thighs on the grill with just a little bit of Open Pit on them. The asparagus was left over from my asparagus patch. I don't have much left, we like it a lot so as fast as I can freeze it, it disappears from the freezer. Soon we'll have to buy it if we want it. Don't get all impressed. I only grow asparagus and a few tomato plants these days. Sometimes we do pumpkins for Halloween but that's about it.

Love "asper grass". Thanks for mentioning it, believe I will (gasp) open a can of it, put a dab of butter on top and some herb seasoning. LIZ

I love everything with butter ;)

"spare-grass" comes in a can?
We always had fresh vegetables here. Went out and dug a few taters for supper when I was a kid.
You are right about these kids and not experiencing food. Most are pretty fussy and won't even try something new.
A couple years ago, DD brought up one of her friends/new boyfriend for the day to expose him to non city like. We took him for a long walk in the woods, they went on a quad ride (he got his stuck in the muck) brought the quads down by the lake to hose off (DH hosed the boyfriend off too) After cleaning up, we made kabobs on the grill. You know, chicken, mushrooms, peppers onions. Well, the kid (25) had never had them, never had peppers, mushrooms, or onions before. He was tasting them and being quite the sport when DH said, "Oh, you never have had possom before?" The look on his face was priceless. Now 2 years later (DD still says the fun he had up here was the reason they started to date) he still isn't sure what he ate that day.

Lots of people can asparagus but it loses its nice color. I think it is easier to just freeze it in ziplocks but then to each his own.

Pretty sad that a 25 year old has never had peppers, shrooms, or onions. I do think it's funny that after two years, your daughter's boyfriend still doesn't know what he ate.

My husband had never had fish. His dad didn't like it so his mom never cooked it. Now he eats fish a few times a week and likes it. It's all what we are exposed to.

I don't normally cook a lot of red meat but for what ever reason, I was cooking beef tongue for dinner one weekend. It was probably on sale when I went shopping because I remember having two. We like it well enough and if there are left overs it tastes good sliced really thin on toast with mayonnaise or in tacos. My girlfriend's son was over here hanging out and he figured he'd stay for dinner if we were having something good. Kids are like that. If you are having something they like they will stay but if you are having something they don't like they will go home for dinner. He asked what we were having for dinner and I told him. I added that if he was really lucky I'd mix in some cow brains with onions, mushrooms, and eggs and scramble them up for him for breakfast. He smiled then said he was staying for dinner. We're eating dinner and he's really liking the cow tongue and is even commenting that he likes it and that it has a really good taste and texture (I had peeled all the skin off by hand before serving it) and he blurts out that he wants to know what he's really eating. Dead silence at the table because this kid is a picky eater and he must have thought I was joking when I had told him we were having beef tongue. I break the silence and tell him it is beef tongue. He tells me to stop teasing him. I go to the garbage can to pull out the skin and the label on the plastic wrap to show him that he's really eating beef tongue. I have to give this kid credit because he was clearly very surprised and a little bit repulsed but he kept eating. He spent the night and the next morning we had scrambled eggs with a little bit of onion and mushroom with shredded cheddar cheese over the top. I saw him picking though it with his fork and didn't say anything. For lunch I made them left over tongue on toast. He ate it. Most people really like beef tongue as long as they don't know what they are eating but it's still funny to watch their reactions.

I washed my light blue silk sweater with Johnsons baby shampoo last night. Looking good! I was going to hang it out on the clothes line but figured I better just leave it laying flat.

Funny story. I like cow tongue pickled and eat it whenever I can get a good one. Years ago, I used to chase the kids around the house before cooking it, making slurping sounds with the tongue. (funny they never had therapy) DD boyfriend now realizes that we have never have had possum. But he was really worried for a long time. I made a great label on the computer and put it on a big soup can that read "canned possum" it had serving suggestions, upc code, the whole works. He got the can for Xmas one year and he loves it. He has it on his kitchen counter and gets lots of comments about it.
I know they have canned asparagus, but never ate it as it looks overcooked and nasty. I got spoiled with fresh I guess. Never had enough left over for freezing.
Glad your sweater is ok. The baby shampoo is a great idea.

I add spices and boil cow tongue. Sort of like how you prepare corned beef. I've never had it pickled before but I've had it prepared other ways.

Canned asparagus tastes a lot better than it looks. Try some if you get a chance. It's not as good as fresh to me but it's not bad at all.

We have some jars around here that are labeled bat brains and farts. Nothing fancy with upc codes or anything but just enough to raise an eyebrow.

OK you did just fine until the cow tongue. YUK YUK YUK YUK now I have the hibie jebies!

Don :)

Poor poor deprived snipe, he doesn't know what he's been missing all these years!

It is funny. Years ago I was attracted to this guy at work. One day I brought in some pickled cow tongue for lunch and he saw it. He knew what it was right away and had some. We got married soon after that. I knew he was the one!
When we got a beef butchered, we had to ask for the tongue, they usually throw it out (they said), but in the store it is over 7 dollars a pound, if you can find it. So why is it so expensive, if no one wants it?
Equil....love your cans, maybe I should make more.

My understanding is that it was an undesirable cut of meat. My Mom told me that poor Jews first coming to this country out of eastern Europe used to eat it all the time because the butchers usually did just what they told your husband- they threw it out. That meant the tongue was available real cheap. I guess once it became common knowledge that penniless immigrants were eating it, nobody from other ranks of society wanted to eat it? I've not noticed any recipes appearing in any old Victorian cookbooks or cookbooks from the early half of the 20th century for beef tongue so maybe there is something to this although I've since learned that poor rural American folk pickled it. Maybe recipes for pickling it appear in Church cookbooks from farming areas or were just passed down from mother to daughter? I think the reason why it is going through the ceiling in price these days is because it is now a desirable cut of meat. Check around and you'll find quite a few Mexican recipes using beef tongue. My MIL used to make a tongue dish that had peppers, onion, and tomatoes in it. It was real good. It's too early to call her to ask her how she used to make it but if you want the recipe I can get it for you later on today. The other deal is that you can season tongue and use it in tacos just as you would beef or poultry. I have to tell you that kids love the taste and texture of beef tongue in tacos. Even the littlest of children who won't eat steak will eat tongue because it is so easy to chew. I do see it on menus around here at the homestyle Mexican restaurants. Supply and demand. Once there is demand, the price goes up. So, up up up goes the price because we've got all the Eastern Europeans cooking it, all the Jews cooking it, all the farmers pickling it, and all the Mexicans cooking it. Bummer on the price being so high, tongue used to be a well kept secret.

Forgot to mention the trim on my silk sweater must have been out of a material different than silk. It shrunk all up and I've had to hand pull it back into shape and it's still tight. I guess the others go to the dry cleaners which really kind of irks me.

Also forgot to mention that I used to have a few other jars around with oddball labels that you might get a kick out of. I don't have them any more because family and friends steal them off my counter tops and take them home:
Belly Button Lint
Eye of Newt
Sunshine & Rainbows
Miracles

And one special jar I made up for a girlfriend who was in a rough divorce-
Ashes of X-Husbands

Lots of organ meat was really cheap, too. I remember being sent to the butcher shop (corner grocery about a block away) with a quarter and a dime to get some liver. Must have carried about 5 pounds back to the house. Now, over $1 per pound when it's on sale. Davenport, IA 1952.

I think either you love liver, or hate it. I love it, but it has to be cooked correctly. The tongue, though does have a unique texture, and I have always loved to peel it after cooking. (morbid fasination).
I have a very old cookbook of my great grandmother's that does have recipes for heart, tongue etc. Its a (don't throw anything out) cookbook that has really bland recipes. I came from a long line of poor rural people in this country for many years, so is it any wonder they passed down the pickled tongue recipe.
Quick funny story. My mother was an adult (she is now 83) before finding out that a chicken had a liver, as her mother, when frying chicken, would eat the liver on the sly while the rest was cooking.

Organ meats did used to be cheap, now they aren't.

I love the "don't throw anything out" cookbooks. I don't see a lot of them these days. I have my mom's cookbook and it is loaded with handwritten recipes. Some I use, some I read just to see her handwriting.

Liver is so-so for me. I'll eat it. Chicken gizzards have to be prepared properly for me. I don't think I've ever had heart but I might have and don't remember. Brains are best mixed in with scrambled eggs but I'm sure there are other recipes.

This "everyday cookbook" I have, (1880?) has everything from recipes, to advice, to how to keep house, to cures. Some of it is pretty scary. It tells you "never bury your pet dog with its fur. The fur makes a good throw or rug". Also tells you that the water potatoes are cooked in is "near poisen" Also to put amonia on a toothache. And how about "always cook vegetables well, never eat them raw, as they are too hard to digest"
So after all that, I am not too quick to try any of the recipes. What scares me the most, is you can see that this book was well used (stains from cooking etc) It is a good read though.

That's a treasure for sure. Those are the exact types of books I like to collect. I have a few. They're just plain old good wholesome fun.

Have you seen the books that help men know how to pick a wife from around the mid 1800's> They tell them to be sure to check their teeth real good because teeth pullin docs are real expensive. The section on checking the teeth of a potential wife comes right after checking the teeth of a potential horse. They even have a small black line drawing of the suitor lifting up the upper lip of the woman he might be interested in marrying.

That is pretty funny. They did have a section on preparing yourself for your husband's arrival home (from field or whatever). That was pretty funny. Also how to be sweet smelling and proper at the table. This of course is all written by a "miss somebody" never married.

Priceless, "how to prepare yourself" and “how to be sweet smelling and proper at the table”.

Here’s my boiled beef tongue recipe for all those who are silently wishing they had it but too shy to ask-
2 beef tongues
Whole onion, diced
Rutabagas, diced (You can substitute potatoes)
Celery
Couple cloves of garlic, cut in half
Peppercorns and Cloves
Salt to taste

Toss all in pot and make sure the tongues are completely covered in water. Bring to a boil then let it simmer for around 3 hours. Remove skin before serving.

I asked my MIL how she made hers and she started rattling off. Too fast for me so I went online and found one similar at a site called All Recipes-
http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Lengua-Beef-Tongue/Detail.aspx
One big difference, my MIL doesn’t use corn. She uses green pigeon peas instead.

I had Feijoada similar to this at a friend’s house. She’s from Guatemala but this recipe says it is Brazilian-
http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Feijoada/Detail.aspx

Ta Da! Tongue Tacos submitted by an Amy Ramirez-
http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Tongue-Tacos/Detail.aspx
Check out her comments, “As a child my mother would trick us into eating this, telling us it was beef. Now that I have kids they love it and I don't have to trick them! Warning: can be very messy to eat."

That All Recipes site is pretty neat. I don’t think I’ve ever seen it before. Popped right up in my search engine when I went looking for tongue recipes.

Here’s a recipe I’d like to try from a different site-
http://www.recipezaar.com/26235

INGREDIENTS
1 Beef Tongue
2 medium onions
2 bay leaves
Salt and pepper
Whole cloves

SAUCE
1 C heavy cream
2 Tblsp prepared horseradish

DIRECTIONS
Scrub fresh beef tongue with vegetable brush in running water.
Soak 1 hour in salted water.
Place tongue in pot, cover with hot water.
Add spices and simmer for 4 hours.
Remove pot from heat and let cool.
Remove cooled meat from pot.
Using a sharp knife, split outer layer, trim and remove outer layer of skin.
To serve, slice thin at a slight angle.
Reheat in microwave for 1 minute.
Serve with horseradish cream.

Contributor’s comments were, “Different and not for everyone. The first time I served this family dish to my husband, he just looked at me.... and then he tried the first bite and loved it!”

Here’s an oddball tongue recipe that looks interesting-
http://ask.metafilter.com/14543/
- Slice it into about 1" thick slices;
- Simmer it in soy sauce with a little sesame oil and ginger until tender;
- Add hard boiled eggs;
- Serve over white (jasmine) rice, sauce and all.

More tongue recipes then what you'll know what to do with if you scroll down here-
http://recipes.lovetoknow.com/wiki/Category:Tongue_Recipes

Wow, from sweaters to tongue all in one thread!

cpartschick, I think you need to share your pickled tongue recipe. We can’t have everyone going tongueless for dinner tonight!

LOL,
I just boil the tongue until tender, cool and peel off the skin. The dog loves the skin. I had a cat once that went crazy over it too.
I slice the tongue thin with an electric knife (seems to work best). Put aside.
I make the pickle solution with equal amounts of cider vinigar and sugar, then add pickle spices, garlic and some sliced onion. (sometimes I add a little water, not much) Onions seem to be the most important. I tried making it without onions once and it wasn't very good.
The sliced tongue is added to the pickle solution, covered with plate or suran wrap and refrigerated for at least 24 hours. (stir around if necessary)
I use a glass bowl, do not use plastic for this.
That is it. Not for everybody, but it is the only way I eat it.....although that horseradish one sounds pretty good.