My husband and I have an ongoing disagreement about hand me downs. When our children outgrow their undies, I do not believe they should be passed on… to a younger sibling, to Goodwill, to cousins.. to anyone. Yes, I know they are washed and clean but I just have issues with that kind of undergarment being passed on. His argument? It is what they did when they were growing up, and so that’s that. Why should it be any different with his kids?
Am I the only one who thinks that this kind of hand me down is a bit icky? Help me see the light or give me a good argument to go back and set my husband straight. And for those of you thinking, “Geez, don’t they have better things to argue about than this?”, we do. Like which direction our trash can should face, or how far up in the garage I should pull the van in and my favorite… why do I get a Netflix subscription and then let the movie sit on our TV for 2 months. Lots of important arguing going on in the Doyle household, but this issue has been gnawing at me for some time now, so I just need to bring some closure to it 😉
I do believe that hand me downs are great, but not of the undie variety. Some of the best recipes in our repertoire are hand me downs from others. One of my favorite wedding shower themes is where people share their family recipes with the bride. What a great way to start off your marriage, with a collection of favorite recipes from those you love.
My mother-in-law recently passed on the recipe for her fruit turnovers. She makes these often for breakfast when we are home (didn’t I marry into a great family? Pie as a breakfast food… genius!). What I love best about hand me down recipes is the verbage in the recipe. I’m going to share this recipe with you, exactly how she gave it to me. If you decided to make these and need some clarification, feel free to contact me and I’ll pass on to you my interpretation.
These turnovers are great for breakfast, dessert, or as a hand held picnic treat, which is why I am including them in the Waiter There’s Something In My Picnic Basket event over at The Passionate Cook.
Fruit Turnovers
2 cups flour
3/4 cup butter
Pinch of salt
10 tbs ice water (might need more)
Canned Pie Filling
Use pastry blender to blend flour with 1/4 cup butter (get crumbly) in a stainless steel bowl.
Add 10 tbs of ice water to make a plyable dough, use fork to keep mixing in until a dough ball forms.Add more water, a bit at a time if the dough ball doesn’t form right away.
Cover with damp, clean dish cloth. Chill about 15 minutes.
Remaining 1/2 cup of butter leave out until plyable and easy to work with.
Roll out the dough on lightly floured surface and then place the butter over the top of the dough – spread butter around surface of dough until thick
Pull up one corner of the dough and bring it over so corners meet (so butter to butter). Keep folding until butter starts to seem through. Keep doing this (roll, fold, fold, fold, roll, fold, fold, fold) until the butter is well incorporated into the dough. (Essentially, this is the way you knead the dough). It will be slimey.
Chill overnight in covered bowl (Kristen here – I’m an instant gratification girl and skipped this step with great results)
Roll out on flowered board, cut it into squares. Place fruit in center, fold over and seal your edges. Canned pie filling works best because it is soft and won’t bust through the dough. For apple, use one apple per turnover and a little bit of the gel. For other fruits, one small tablespoon of filling/fruit works well. Jam – use one heaping teaspoon full.
Bake at 425 for 20-25 minutes. Once cool, feel free to use a powdered sugar, butter, vanilla, milk drizzle or glaze.
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I have mixed emotions about the underwear. I volunteered and worked at the homeless shelter in Olathe for many years. When we would get donations of gently used underwear and bras, I would take them home, throw them in the washer with clorox, then take them back to the shelter.
As with any donations, I threw the yucky stuff away. But that’s another story!
I love your mom’s blog! It is bookmarked right under yours. Thanks, Nella
Oh I am so right there with you on the hand-me-down underpants. When my children outgrow some, they go right in the trash. And when people give us some…they go right in the trash. That’s just so personal, and you never know where they’ve been! I’m the same with socks too. We don’t pass them on, and we don’t wear hand-me-downs. I don’t know what it is, but you’re absolutely right on this one. 🙂
Erikas last blog post..Peaches on Parade
Yes, you can tell your husband that he’s nuts. Toss ’em and buy the kids some new undies!!
The fruit turnovers look delicious. I sure with my MIL had recipes to hand down to me…she doesn’t cook!
RecipeGirls last blog post..Salt and Pepper Ceviche
My mom would take the outgrown/outworn underwear and use it for dust rags. Is that better or worse than passing them down to siblings? I mean, you’re not wearing them, but you’re wiping them over all the surfaces in the house…
Honestly I don’t know if we WOULD have done hand-me-downs… I doubt they’d have handed down my (girls’) undies to my little brother, clean or unclean!
camilles last blog post..Murphys Chocolate Cake
The fruit turnovers look delicious!
As for underoos, I think donating gently used bras are fine, but I agree with you and think underwear is a little gross. Also, some of our local donation centers look like they get so much unusable donations that I wouldn’t want to add on to that mess.
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So when will your mom start to twitter? That would be awesome!
I don’t pass down underwear or socks. It’s just weird to me.
We had lots of hand me downs growing up because we didn’t have a lot of money, but I don’t ever remember handing down undies. So I’m on your side!!
Turnovers for breakfast?? I want to be in your family!
Deborahs last blog post..Sage
I gotta say – I’m in total agreement with you. I think it might be a “guy” thing…but then again I’m the oldest and didn’t have to endure the old “hand me downs” ritual…
BTW – love your site and thanks for stopping by mine.
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My little sister was handed down my underwear. We didn’t think too much of it.
Hello Kristen. I love your blog! I am pleased to announce that “Dine & Dish” has been reviewed and added to Blogging Women. Congratulations. Thank you for submitting it and for doing such a wonderful job. It’s my pleasure to add another quality women’s blog to the directory.
I have to agree with you on the undies issue. While it’s wonderful to hand down clothing to loved ones or others in need, I believe undies shouldn’t be passed on.
Can’t wait to try the fruit turnover recipes. Wishing you continued success!
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Hand-me-down underroos! No way Jose! When my sister-in-law came to visit a few years ago and forgot to pack underwear, she asked if she could “borrow” a pair. Uh…. nope. Not a chance. I don’t care if you soak that stuff in bleach… never wearing it again. ICK!
~Cat
I am absolutely with you on the underwear thing. They’re just not that expensive to buy new and some things are absolutely worth it.
And any advice to someone who is pastry-challenged? Those turnovers look so tasty but whenever a recipe says to use a pastry blender I shy away after many attempts with zero success. Am I just not patient enough?
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I’m with Nella. If it is financially feasible in your household I think making younger siblings wear their older siblings’ underwear is crazy. But I would give them to a shelter.
I love fruit turnovers.
Lauras last blog post..Trish’s Zucchini Bars
I amall for hand me downs too..but the undergarments…NOT SO MUCH! Grosses me out!
Thanks for your comment on my cake pop
Can I just add that I really want some fruit turnovers for breakfast? Although now it’d be second breakfast, but that’s ok. I think they’d add a lot to the Cheerios I had earlier.
Sheilas last blog post..Cucumber Salad
Those fruit turnovers look amazing. Ohh and you put glaze on them….I’m so drooling now. 🙂
dawns last blog post..Chocolate & Peanut Butter Cake with PB & C Ganache
I used to love to bake but now I don’t have time. I would eat them though!
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Personally I don’t think it is that big of a deal to hand down underwear to a sibling if it looks decent (some get really rough and I just toss). But I wouldn’t hand it to anyone else. Same with socks and even tennis shoes as they get A LOT of wear and tear.
When I was younger, our family started bringing our oldest, most tattered underwear on trips. Then after wearing them, we tossed them instead of packing back up the dirty underwear! Saves a little space going home for something you purchase! Then you don’t have to think about passing them down.
The turnovers look great!
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I have to say you definitely should NOT donate used undies to Goodwill or any other charity. When I did some volunteering to send clothes to Hurricane Katrina victims, we had to discard ENTIRE BAGS of donating clothing if there were unsealed (thus, presumably used)underwear in there. It will waste your whole donation if you donate used undies.
http://twitter.com/acsmo
I really enjoyed the blog entry and LOL at the comments. Thank you for mentioning my blog in your recommendations. I have had many comments from readers of Dine and Dish. Congratulations on your being included in that directory. By the way, as for hand-me-downs, it depends. How’s that for straddling the fence? This blog about undies has given me another memory/idea for my blog.
I guess I’m the minority on the topic of underwear hand-me-downs. I have 3 boys, the younger 2 are 3 year old twins and this will gross you out but they do wear their big brother’s old underwear (along with new underwear, too) and not only that, I have their underwear in one drawer! I have never and won’t ever donate any type of undergarments to charity or pass them onto friends/relatives. I don’t think I would share underwear among girls but for some reason, I feel it’s okay with boys. Can you believe I’m a TOTAL clean/germ freak?? Go figure! 🙂
Hey, I grew up on hand-me-downs from other people, but even I had my limits. Don’t pass on the undies. That’s something that should be tossed when the time comes, in my humble opinion.
Your mom started a blog?! I think that fantastic! I’m off to find out what exactly she has to say…
Oh and bring some of those turnovers tomorrow. They look absolutely scrumptious!
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Haha I had to laugh at arguing over which direction the trash can should face. 🙂 I can see your husband’s argument but I know I wouldn’t want to wear someone else’s underwear, no matter how clean it was.
I like this little beauties. They are very simple to make. First time here. U have a rocking blog.
I could not agree more with you about the underwear thing! It’s just strange!
Way to go mom! So cute, I’ll check her blog out for sure!
The turnovers are great, so practical to take anywhere!
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No hand-me down undies for me, thank you! I’m OK with socks but not undies. Enough of that, onto those turnovers! They look just delicious, I’d have that for breakfast over cereal any day! 🙂
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Toss the undies! No way, I am all for all new underwear. That’s just hysterical.
noble pigs last blog post..Taking Care of Business
Ummm…underpants are *definitely* not to be shared! Those fruit turnovers, however, most certainly are 🙂
PaniniKathys last blog post..It’s a Breville Panini Grill GIVEAWAY!
i’m with you, kristen–most hand-me-downs are great (these turnovers, for example), but i draw the line at unmentionables. 🙂
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oh, i don’t have a problem with underwear being passed on, but i think that SHOES are just gross… you can’t even wash them! but i agree: these fruit turnovers are definitely a better hand-me-down 😉
thanks for your contribution!
Ewww! lol… maybe, MAYBE a bra, but NEVER used underwear. That’s just plain gross, no matter how much laundry detergent and Clorox a person uses.
Eww, ick! No… that’s just wrong.
(going to check out your Mom’s blog now, how cool is that!)
Sandies last blog post..Recipe: The Addison’s Peach-Berry Smoothie
There’s absolutley no reason why clean, used underwear should go to waste when someone else needs it…
But…
I’ll pass, thank you very much.
Sorry I can’t give you a logical reason to help but it isn’t logical… it just is!
I’m the same way about shoes – but, in my defense, shoes can’t really be cleaned!
I grew up with wonderful hand-me-downs (no undies) from a cousin who was just 2 years older and lived in ‘the city’.
Eww…. I’m into being frugal/thrifty and green and all, but Nooo! to the hand-me-down undies! That’s just icky (unsanitary), isn’t it? If you do wash them in bleach, they won’t last long after that, because the bleach eats at the elastic in the garment. (Plus, bleach isn’t exactly enviro-friendly!)
Just my two-cents. 🙂
Loved this post, and that recipe is mouthwatering–just the thing to help chase thoughts of cooties away! 😉
No hand me down undies in this house!!! Kris likes different things than Kye does anyway, ie Kris-Scooby and Thomas Kye-baseball and basketball. Hey whatever it takes to get them to wear them!!!
Whit
Whitneys last blog post..Kye turns 7!
These look soooo good, I’m craving sweets recently (yikes!). Will definitely be on my to-make list.
And I think a good argument to anyone that says ‘it’s the way it was when I grew up…’ is that things change. If that argument holds as valid, can I say that because my mom drank alcohol while pregnant with me (poor woman didn’t know back in those days, but I think I still turned out OK!) that I should do so too? Um, no. It doesn’t work like that. We learn from so many of our parents past mistakes. Like handing undies down from child to child. Hold strong on this one! Very funny insights though into your homeland conversations. he, he.
Ok, I went searching the internet tonight to discover if it was ok for my boys to share underwear. See, they are 3 and 4 so they both want to wear Spiderman, Thomas the Train, & other special undies. They share a room. They share clothes. They share a dresser. They share underwear.
Now, the REAL question is… at what age should they STOP sharing underwear?
As far as hand-me-downs go; I wore them and as a mom of 3 kids, I thank GOD that my kids have friends a little bigger than they are because I greatly appreciate their hand-me-downs. Therefore, I do pass on children’s clothing AND underwear to friends with smaller kids. And I know for a fact that their kids are wearing my daughters old panties. Is that so wrong? We all own washing machines. And for goodness sakes… children are not going around spreading diseases down under. Right?