A well-dressed ironing board is not covered with old blankets and worn-out sheets. That's false economy. Ready-made pads and covers come packaged separately or together to fit ironing boards of all sizes, and the covers have either drawstring fastenings or elastic gathers. Keep an extra cover or two so you will always have a clean one while a soiled one is being laundered. Asbestos ironing board covers are available today, also. They give long service and protection from scorching and burning.
The cover on my own ironing board is so thin that the pattern of the metal board sometimes shows right up on the pieces I'm ironing. And a pad? There's a super thin layer of foam between the cloth and the board, but I don't think it could possibly qualify. (I've honestly never even considered removing the cover from an ironing board to wash it!) Judging from these words of caution from The Good Housekeeping Housekeeping Book (1947), though, I'm not the first woman to try and make do without the state-of-the-art in terms of equipment. "Old blankets and worn-out sheets" may have been what the mothers and grandmothers of '40s housewives once used to pad the surfaces on which they did their ironing.This morning's breakfast was super simple:
Stewed Dried Apricots
Corn-meal Mush
I wish I hadn't boasted about having become so good at dividing my recipes, because I promptly whipped together a batch of Corn-meal Mush this morning that yielded six servings. Six servings! Without even stopping to consult that last line in the recipe's instructions. Haste is my downfall when it comes to housekeeping. I end up having to throw away grease-stained clothing because I haven't taken the time to remove the stain before throwing it in the laundry and forget about the stain by the time Wash Day comes 'round. I make six times the breakfast needed because I don't take the time to read all the way through the recipe before getting started.
In the spirit of 1940s thrift, I came up with a possible solution. One of the breakfast menus in the back of the cookbook mentioned turning one day's leftover Corn-meal Mush into a dish to serve at lunch the next day - Sauteed Corn-meal Mush with Cheese Sauce. Apparently, you can ladle the leftovers into a shallow pan, cover and refrigerate, then cut it into pieces, and fry them up. (Sounds a little bit like polenta.) Instead of serving mine for lunch, I'm going to make it for breakfast and serve it with Sirup - which is also suggested in the recipe.
12 comments:
If you're looking for covers, eBay has some adorable ones! And I believe they are all handmade and washable; I think I've seen one that matches the red and white dotted one in your picture. Talk about finding a cute way to dress up a tedious task!
I don't know if this would have happened in 1940 or not, but I add a few drops of essential oil to my water spray bottle. The smell pretty much goes away right after you finish ironing, but it makes the task like a therapy session!
Roxanne
I like to get a new cover probably once a year, we don't use our iron that much except to iron my grandmother's tablecloths and sheets etc.
If someone were really clever with a needle and thread, an ironing board cover might be a nice way to show off some vintage fabric salvaged from a damaged tablecloth or apron. Emer, thanks for the tip on finding some ready-made ones!
Roxanne, I haven't yet come across a tip quite as indulgent (or sensible!) when it comes to ironing in these manuals. It's not as though people weren't aware of aromatherapy, though. Think how long they've been putting lavendar sachets in linen drawers! I use a lily of the valley sachet in my linen closet and my sheets and pillowcases smell sooooo good when I change the bed. I love your idea. It's gotta make Ironing Day so much less of a strain.
Amy, I had no idea you could even change an ironing board's cover. That's what comes of growing up in such a disposable world. I guess I thought if it was damaged beyond repair, I'd just have to get a new ironing board. (My grandmother would be embarrassed.)
I thought of you this morning as I made grits (the first time I had ever done so) for hubby. They were soo yummy with sirip and bananas! I want to make them with baking chocolate one morning. And, upon investigation, found out that grits are corn and is whats left when the finer corn meal is sifted. I am learning alot! Today is my first Starch day, wish me luck!
(small scream)
Sacrilege!!!
Grits are properly eaten with butter salt and pepper!
That's how I grew up eating them "down South." My dad was from New York, though, and he would eat them with milk and sugar.
We ribbed him a lot for that.
(Hee, hee!)
Roxanne
I guess as an New Englander, the right them to do with any unknown breakfast item is to drown it in sirop and brown sugar. When the hubby and I were in Savannah GA a few years back (we were actually looking to buy a house there) we encountered grits for the first time. They were cheese grits and when I mentioned I had bought grits, his first response was, "Mmm cheese grits" I guess it is how they eat it there. They were wonderful.
*passing Roxanne the sniffing salts*
Congrats on your new breakfast dish, 50s gal! How'd you do lump-wise? I haven't made grits yet myself, but I know it can be tricky to cook Corn-meal without lumps.
Wha..? Huh..? Oh--thanks for the sniffing salts.
I feel a tutorial wanting to appear on my blog.....
*Ahem* (tap, tap, tap)
Grits. Some love them, some hate them. Some treat them as a cereal--which is fine and dandy.
But, oh, the ultimate level of delectability can be reached only through the addition of dairy products (eg butter or cheese).
Maybe some poetry about grits will be included in my tutorial...
OK--back to reality. The key to smooth grits is to add them to BOILING water in a steady stream wisking the heck out of them to keep the clumps from forming.
A note: Make enough for JUST that breakfast. Leftover grits are not worth the effort. They turn into a rubbery substance that's a little disturbing to look at. No one wants to see that.
Roxanne
my ironing board cover is not removeable... in order to stop the foamy bit from moving about and to keep the top cover tight so i didn't get wrinkles from the cover in my clothes, i wired it tight to the board... it doesn't come off in a hurry... i probably should get another cover to put over this one....
Thx, Roxanne, for Grits 101! My cookbook hasn't included them yet in a menu, but now I'll be ready.
W-E, my ironing board cover is technically removable, but I doubt I could get it back on anytime soon. It's pretty snugly fit to the board - which is a good thing. I hadn't even thought about wrinkles in the cover/pad until you mentioned them!
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