Cool Off the Blender Way

It's getting hot outside, which means only one thing: time to lug a cardigan with me everywhere because the air conditioning is cranked up to sub-polar levels at approximately 2/3 of the places I go. (The other third is sweating us all out because they realize that they can pass off saving money on a.c. as being environmentally friendly.) (And no, since you asked, there is no way to please me, thankyouverymuch.)

If you happen to be among those of us who tend to keep your home at an environmentally-friendly sweaty summer temperature, I've put together a chilly summer menu from The Blender Way to Better Cooking (edited by Betty Sullivan, 1965). Blender cookbooks are pretty reliable sources of summer recipes, with all their chilled beverages and icy desserts.

Speaking of chilled beverages, let's start this menu with an icy cold glass of Apricado Cooler.

And yes, Apricado's portmanteau name is precisely what you guess that it is: apricot nectar with avocado (plus lemon juice, crushed ice, and dry milk for good measure). I've seen enough avocado desserts that they're no surprise anymore, but I can't say as I've ever considered drinking a nice tall glass of avocado with dry milk solids.... (At least this one skips the raw egg that so many blender beverages call for.)

Soup and sandwich is an excellent winter lunch, but how about a summer version? First up, an icy cold soup:

I'm not sure too many people yearn for icy black beans, either, but at least it's easy to send a can of black bean soup through the blender with a little broth, sherry, and milk. Even if the cold, sludgy bowl isn't sufficiently perked up with garnishes to seem appetizing, at least it only took a couple minutes to make.

Now since we've had good fats from the avocado and plenty of fiber from the black beans, it's time to get a little indulgent with the sandwich. How about a spread that would have made health-conscious cooks in the '80s break into a cold sweat (which would keep them cool, so it fits our theme!)?

Bacon 'n Egg Spread is not just bacon and eggs, but bacon, egg yolks, and cream cheese with mayo! As I said, '80s terror!

So maybe we'll dial it back again with a light frozen dessert.

Frozen Strawberry Whip looks kind of like a Pepto Bismol mousse...

But that Pepto mousse would probably have more flavor, as this is basically a bowl of super-fluffed-up frozen strawberries. So it probably tastes like, well, diluted frozen strawberries. Hooray.

But it would still not taste like Pepto Bismol. So ... win?

Or just stick to enjoying a cold lunch the good, old-fashioned way, by eating a frozen macaroni and cheese dinner like it's an oversize Popsicle. You won't even have to clean the blender.