Blender fruit drinks for sipping on hot days

The ready-to-eat quality of dairy foods plus the work your blender can do make it easy to provide meals on the hot, humid days that will be here soon.

A blender can turn out frosty, milk-based beverages, and cool, creamy soups, as well as help with foods that need blending, whipping, pureeing, chopping or mixing. Here are two blender drinks to refresh you. Pineapple Orange Frosty 2 cups cold milk 1 pint pineapple sherbet, softened 2 seedless oranges, peeled and quartered 2 tablespoons sugar

Place half the milk, half the sugar, the oranges, and sugar in blender container; cover. Blend until almost smooth. Add remaining milk and sherbet. Blend until smooth and frothy. Serve immmediately in tall chilled glasses. Makes about 5 cups. Orange Apricot Shake 2 1/2 cups cold milk 1 pint orange sherbet, softened 1/2 cup dried apricots, chopped 2 tablespoons sugar 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Place half the milk, half the sherbet, the apricots, sugar, and vanilla in blender container; cover. Chop 1 minute. Add remaining milk and sherbet. Blend until smooth and frothy. Serve immediately in tall chilled glasses.