I live in an old house with no air conditioning in the kitchen, which means that for the months of July and August, I implement a strict moratorium on oven use. I get a lot of use out my appliances during this time, especially the toaster oven and the food processor, but the real star this summer has been the blender. Most of my repertoire consists of smoothies-as-meals, but last week I found a whole stash of blender cookbooks in the Kirschner Collection, and found that so much more is possible (heck, you can even make baby food out of blended calves’ brains if you have some around.) So, I put together this menu of blender recipes to serve as inspiration for the rest of the hot months. Enjoy!

Herbal French Salad Dressing

Ingredients

3/4 Cup Mineral or Salad Oil
1/4 Cup Wine Vinegar
1/2 Cup Tender Celery Leaves
1/2 Cup Water Cress Leaves
Few Sprays Parsley
1 t. Herb Flavored Salt
1/8 Clove Garlic

Instructions

Place all ingredients in container in order indicated.
Put cover on Container.
Turn on WARING.
Run until contents are thoroughly blended, 15 seconds to 1 minute.

By 340 Recipes for the new Waring Blendor (1947)

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Curried Fresh Pea Soup

Ingredients

1 cup shelled fresh peas
1 medium onion, sliced
1 small carrot, sliced
1 clove garlic
1 stalk celery with leaves, sliced
1 medium potato, sliced
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon curry powder
2 cups chicken broth
1 cup cream or milk

Instructions

In a saucepan combine peas, onion, carrot, garlic, celery, potato, salt, curry powder and 1 cup chicken broth. Bring to a boil, cover and simmer 15 minutes. Into container put contents of saucepan. Cover. Blend 30 seconds on Button 8 (LIQUEFY). After 10 seconds, remove cover and add remaining cup chicken broth and cream or milk. Heat over simmering water, or chill and serve cold with a topping of whipped cream.

By Waring Cook Book for the 8 Push Button Blender (1968)

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Salami Spread

Ingredients

1 cup diced salami
1/4 cup condensed celery soup
1 package cream cheese

Instructions

Remove skin from salami. Place all ingredients in glass container and Osterize to a smooth paste. Stop and start motor as necessary to scrape mixture from sides of container with a rubber scraper.

By Osterizer: the New Modern Meal Maker (1953)

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Chicken Ring

Ingredients

1 envelope plain gelatin
2 tablespoons sherry
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1/2 cup hot chicken stock or broth
1/4 cup mayonnaise
2 egg yolks
1/4 teaspoon dry mustard
Few drops Tabasco
6 sprays parsley
1 slice medium onion
2 cups diced cooked chicken
1/2 cup each finely chopped celery and green pepper
1 cup cooked peas

Instructions

Into container put gelatin, sherry, lemon juice and chicken stock or broth. Cover. PRESS High Button 11. Blend 30 seconds. Add mayonnaise, egg yolks, seasonings, parsley, onion, and chicken. Cover. PRESS High Button 14. Blend 30 seconds, stopping to stir down if necessary. Empty into mixing bowl and fold in celery, green pepper, and peas. Pour into 4-cup ring mold and chill until set. Unmold and serve garnished with salad greens.

By Your New Electric Blender (196-?)

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Frozen Fruit Sherbet

Ingredients

1 small can (6 ounces) frozen fruit juice concentrate (orange, lemon, etc.)
4 tablespoons sugar
3 heaping cups crushed ice

Instructions

Put all ingredients into container. Cover.
Press button 8. As mixture freezes around blades, remove cover and gently push mixture away from sides of container and into center with a rubber spatula. Be careful not to push down into ice. Blend for 60 seconds or until mixture looks like snow.
Spoon into dessert dishes and serve.

By Your Waring Cookbook: the Pleasure of Blending (1969)

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Coffee Cooler

Ingredients

1 cup milk
2 cups cold water
4 teaspoons vanilla
1 cup nonfat dry milk solids
1 tablespoon instant cocoa
2 teaspoons instant coffee
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1 banana, peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces

Instructions

Put all ingredients in blender container in order listed; cover and run on speed 7 (or high) until smooth. To serve, pour over ice cubes in tall glasses.

By The Blender Way to Better Cooking (1965)