A growing collection of recipes

Very Orange Spiced Pumpkin Pancakes

1 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 cup granulated white sugar

1-3/4 teaspoons baking powder

1 egg, separated

3/4 cup milk

1/2 cup pumpkin puree

1/2 cup butter, melted (1 stick)

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon ground ginger

1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

orange food coloring gel

In a large bowl, flour, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg and ginger.

In a medium bowl, lightly beat egg yolk with a fork. Add milk, pumpkin puree and vanilla; mix well. Add melted butter. If the butter is hot, add it slowly or you will cook your egg yolk. Add a bit of the orange food coloring to the wet mixture at this point. Add more until it’s about as orange as you can stand. Stir this mixture into dry ingredients, just until combined.

In another bowl, beat egg white until stiff peaks form. Gently fold egg white into batter.

Heat a griddle or large skillet over medium heat and grease lightly with vegetable oil. For each pancake, spoon about 1/4 cup batter onto the hot griddle. Cook until bubbles appear on the surface and the edges look dry. Turn over and cook until golden brown. The pancakes are delicate so stick to making small or medium sized pancakes, I put cracks in a few larger ones trying to flip them over.

Black Cinnamon Syrup

1/2 cup granulated white sugar

1/2 brown sugar

2 Tablespoons all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons cinnamon

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 cup water

black food coloring gel

In a saucepan combine white sugar, brown sugar, all-purpose flour and cinnamon. Stir dry ingredients together. Add vanilla extract and water. Bring to a boil, stirring occasionally. Be really careful while boiling sugar, keep a bowl of ice water nearby just in case. As it heats squirt in a little of the black food coloring and mix in, add more until it’s as dark as can be (it doesn’t take much). Allow to boil for a few moments until the mixture has noticeably thickened. Remove from heat and allow to cool enough to put into a squirt bottle (of the ketchup style). You can make it the night before and warm it by dipping the squeeze bottle in a bowl of warm water. You might also have your pancake eaters create their own designs.

Decorate the pancakes with the syrup. By all means decorate the plate with extra syrup. I find spiders, spider webs and bats work out well. Serve with sausages, sausages are creepy looking enough on their own

Sweet Bones 
6 large egg whites 
1 1/2 cups sugar 

Preheat oven to 200 degrees. Put egg whites and sugar in the heatproof bowl of an electric mixer. Set bowl over a pan of simmering water; whisk constantly until sugar is dissolved and mixture feels warm to the touch, about 5 minutes. 
Return bowl to mixer, and fit mixer with the whisk attachment.Beat on high speed until very stiff peaks form, about 8 minutes. 
Transfer meringue to a pastry bag fitted with a 1/2-inch plain round tip, such as a Wilton #1A. Pipe bone shapes, each 5 to 6 inches long, onto two baking sheets lined with parchment paper. Pipe by making one long (not as curvy) S shape, followed by another mirrored S shape atop the first. The pictures below should help. Bake until crisp throughout, about 1 hour. Let cool completely on a wire rack. 

Blood Red Hot Chocolate
5 ounces semisweet chocolate, finely chopped 
5 ounces bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped 
4 cups whole milk 
1/4 cup sugar 
1 1/2 teaspoons red gel-paste food coloring 

Bring milk and sugar to a simmer in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat, stirring until sugar dissolves, about 7 minutes. Pour over chocolate, and let stand. When chocolate begins to melt, stir until combined. Whisk in food coloring. Serve immediately with marshmallow bones.

110gm powdered sugar

60gm finely ground almond meal/flour

60gm egg whites (of 2 eggs)

40gm granulated sugar

Yellow Food coloring

Filling:

about 10 Pumpkin spice kisses

Confectioners sugar(just enough to thicken the melted kisses enough to be a filling)

Ingredients

Preheat oven to 310 degrees F

Line two baking sheets with parchment paper and have a pastry bag with a plain tip (about 1/2-inch, 2 cm) ready. (Setting the pastry bag in a glass while you fill the bag was a great tip I learned during this process.) (Also, I like to double stack the baking sheets.)

Combine the powdered sugar with the almond powder. (Pulse in a blender or food processor if you don’t have finely ground almond meal. A mini food processor works best for this if you have one.)

With an electric mixer, beat the egg whites until they begin to rise and hold their shape. While whipping, beat in the granulated sugar until very stiff and firm, about 2 minutes. (To test to see if egg whites are ready, whip until the tip of the peak doesn’t fold over when you pull the beater out of the meringue.)

Carefully fold the dry ingredients, in two batches, into the beaten egg whites with a flexible rubber spatula. When the mixture is just smooth and there are no streaks of egg white, stop folding and scrape the batter into the pastry bag. (You can put a spoonful on a plate to test it. If it slowly flattens out it’s perfect. If it runs, add a bit more almond flour/powdered sugar. If it just stays in a blob, give it a few more folds.) 

Split the batter into two halves, keeping one white while adding enough yellow food coloring to the other to get the desired color.

Pipe the batter on the parchment-lined baking sheets in 1-inch (3 cm) circles (about 1 tablespoon each of batter), evenly spaced one-inch (3 cm) apart.

Rap the baking sheet a few times firmly on the counter top to flatten the macarons. Leave out, uncovered for 15 minutes, then bake them for 15-20 minutes. Give the macs a gentle little shake with the tip of your finger to see if they’re done. You want them set but not firm. It’s better to undercook them.

Let cool completely then remove from baking sheet.

Melt Kisses in microwave at at %0 power for about 1 minute, mix in enough powdered sugar for it to be thick enough to be a filling. Sandwich between two pieces and you’re done!

makes 6-8 servings
NOTES
•If you don’t have Oat Flour you can pulverize rolled oats in a blender until you have flour.
•If you want to learn how to make fun pancake shapes like these please watch the videos over at Jim’s Pancakes
•As always, use your own taste buds to determine how you want to flavor your Chocolate Pumpkin Jack-o’-lantern Pancakes. My ingredient lists are wide open for interpretation.
INGREDIENTS 
1 cup Oat Flour (see not above)
1 cup Whole Wheat Pastry Flour
1 large Egg
1 1/2 cup Milk (any kind you like)
Vanilla Stevia drops to taste
1 teaspoon Baking Powder
pinch of Salt
1/4 teaspoon Pumpkin Pie Spice
1 tablespoon Unsweetened Cocoa Powder
8 ounces Pumpkin Purée
Water or extra Milk (for thinning out batter if needed)
Cooking spray or Butter for pan
METHOD
Prepare batter. Combine flours, egg, milk, stevia, baking powder and salt with a whisk. Divide the batter into two bowls. I separated 1/3 for chocolate & 2/3 pumpkin. In the smaller amount of batter whisk in cocoa powder. In the larger amount of batter whisk in pumpkin pie spice and pumpkin puree. Thin out batters if needed with milk or water. Add batter to plastic squeeze bottles. Squeeze a little onto a plate to make sure it comes out easily.

Spray or add butter to a medium fry pan or griddle set to medium high heat. Outline the pumpkin shape with desired color, make eyes, mouth and nose & stem with opposite color. Fill in the pancake with the outline color. Don’t cover the eyes, nose and mouth, just make sure the batter touches those areas. Reduce heat to medium so the pancakes don’t burn and continue to cook them until cooked through. I did not flip mine. They look blotchy if you do. Remove carefully from griddle with a flipper.

*Thin out batter periodically if you need to. If the nozzle clogs on your squeeze bottle simply flush with hot water or poke with a toothpick.

1. Heat oven to 350ºF. Mix brown sugar, butter, water and vanilla in medium bowl. Stir in flour and salt. Shape dough into twenty 1 1/4-inch balls. 

2. Place pretzel rod halves on ungreased cookie sheet. Press ball of dough onto cut end of each pretzel rod. Press dough with fork to resemble “bristles” of broom. 

3. Bake about 12 minutes or until set but not brown. Remove from cookie sheet. Cool completely on wire rack, about 30 minutes.

4. Cover cookie sheet with waxed paper. Place brooms on waxed paper. Heat shortening and chocolate chips over low heat, stirring occasionally, until melted and smooth; remove from heat. Spoon melted chocolate over brooms, leaving about 1 inch at top of pretzel handle and bottom halves of cookie bristles uncovered. Drizzle with melted butterscotch chips. Let stand until chocolate is set. 

Yield: 24 cupcakes
Prep Time: 45 min 
Ingredients:
1 box chocolate cake mix, prepared as cupcakes
One (12-ounce) bag chocolate chips
1 teaspoon shortening
1 bag stick pretzels
1 jar chocolate-hazelnut spread (such as Nutella)
chocolate sprinkles
red hot cinnamon candies
2 cups Cocoa Puffs cereal
Directions:
Prepare spider legs: Place a cookie-cooling rack over paper towels. Pour chocolate chips into a medium bowl with shortening. Melt in the microwave in 30 second bursts (stirring after each burst) until chips are melted and mixture is smooth. Drop pretzels into the chocolate, roll them around gently with tongs to cover all sides; scrape off excess chocolate as you remove them from the bowl. Place them on a cookie-cooling rack, leaving space between pretzels. Sprinkle with chocolate sprinkles. You’ll need 8 spider legs for each spider cupcake you make. Place the rack in the refrigerator or freezer to set the chocolate quickly.

Assemble cupcakes: Gently insert spider legs (4 on each side) into the top-sides of the cupcakes. Spoon about a 1/2 Tablespoon of the chocolate hazelnut spread onto the top of the cupcake (to act as a frosting). On top of the spread, add 2 red hots for the eyes of the spider; dot Cocoa Puffs onto the body of the spider. Eat!

Tips:
Quick & easy tip: You can also buy the Magic Shell quick-drying chocolate (in the ice cream sundae sauce section) and just drizzle it over the pretzel sticks on the drying rack.

Money-saving tip: Use canned chocolate frosting in place of the chocolate hazelnut spread.

Make ahead tip: You can make these spider cupcakes one day ahead & they will be perfectly fine to eat the next day.

2 cups Heavy Cream
1 cup Whole Milk
13 ounces candy corn

Pour 1 cup of the cream into a medium saucepan and add the candy corn. Warm over medium heat, stirring, until you start to see the candy corn dissolve. Turn heat off and let cream come to room temperature. Add the remaining cream and milk.

Put into an air tight container and refrigerate overnight, at least 12 hours. When you can remember to, shake the container up to get the candy corn loose.

Remove from refrigerator and strain the milk/cream mixture through a sieve or really small strainer to catch the candy corn pieces that did not disintegrate.

Freeze in your ice-cream maker according to the manufacturer’s instructions.

Top with extra candy corn if you would like.

Makes 18
Ingredients
3/4 cup all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
1/4 cup unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa
3/4 teaspoon coarse salt
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup packed light-brown sugar
1 large egg
1 large egg yolk
4 ounces semisweet chocolate, melted and cooled
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons dulce de leche (igourmet.com)
Directions
Whisk together flour, cocoa, salt, and baking powder. Beat butter and sugars with a mixer on medium speed until pale and fluffy. Beat in egg, yolk, chocolate, and vanilla. Reduce speed to low. Add flour mixture, and beat until just combined. Shape into a disk, wrap in plastic, and refrigerate 1 hour.

On a lightly floured surface, roll out dough to 1/8 inch thick. Cut out 36 rounds with a 2-inch cutter, and space 1 inch apart on parchment-lined baking sheets. Using an aspic cutter set, cut a triangle, point side up, in the center of half the cookies, and then use the half-moon cutter to make one “wing” on each side of the triangle. Refrigerate 30 minutes.

Preheat oven to 375. Bake until set, 7 to 9 minutes. Let cool. Top each uncut cookie with 1 teaspoon dulce de leche and a cutout cookie.

Ingredients

8 wooden craft sticks

8 medium Gala apples

2 (6.5-ounce) packages caramel apple wraps

1 (16-ounce) chocolate bar

16 ounces vanilla bark coating

Orange paste food coloring

Toppings: colored sprinkles, chopped peanuts, black writing gel

Preparation

Insert craft sticks into apples. Cover each apple with 1 caramel wrap.

Microwave at HIGH 15 to 20 seconds. Cool.

Melt chocolate bar in a small saucepan over low heat.

Dip each apple into chocolate; let dry.

Melt vanilla bark coating in a small saucepan over low heat; stir in orange food coloring.

Dip or drizzle each apple with vanilla coating mixture. Decorate with desired toppings, and let dry.

Note: For testing purposes only, we used a Ghirardelli chocolate bar.

Ingredients:
1 cup butter or margarine, softened 
1 cup powdered sugar 
1 teaspoon vanilla 
1 3/4 cups Gold Medal® all-purpose flour 
1/3 cup unsweetened baking cocoa 
1 teaspoon instant coffee granules or crystals
1 1/4 cups white vanilla baking chips (from 11-oz bag)
1/4 cup miniature candy-coated semisweet chocolate baking bits (40 bits) 

Heat oven to 350°F. In large bowl, beat butter, powdered sugar and vanilla with electric mixer on medium speed about 2 minutes or until creamy. On low speed, beat in flour, cocoa and coffee granules 1 to 2 minutes or until well mixed. Divide dough into 2 balls; press each to form disk. Wrap each disk in plastic wrap; freeze 10 minutes. 

On lightly floured surface, roll 1 dough disk at a time until 1/8 inch thick. Cut with 5-inch gingerbread boy cutter. On ungreased cookie sheets, place cutouts 1 inch apart. Reroll and cut any remaining dough. Bake 9 to 10 minutes or until set. Cool 1 minute; remove from cookie sheets to cooling racks. Cool completely, 15 to 20 minutes. 

Place white baking chips in small resealable freezer plastic bag; seal bag. Microwave on High 30 seconds. Turn bag over; microwave 15 seconds longer until chips are softened. Squeeze bag until mixture is smooth. (If necessary, microwave 10 seconds longer or until chips are completely melted and mixture is smooth.) 

Cut very small tip from one corner of bag. Squeeze bag to drizzle melted chips over cookies for mummy wrapping. Add 2 baking bits to each cookie for eyes. 

Expert Tips: Use prepared frosting in a small food-storage plastic bag instead of white vanilla baking chips. There’s no need to melt the frosting, just pipe it on the cookies.

Suggestion: Instead of mini baking bits, use raisins for the mummy eyes.

1 cup self-rising flour
2/3 cup (packed) golden brown sugar
2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
1 large egg
1/2 cup canned pure pumpkin
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1/3 cup sour cream
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Chopped crystallized ginger (optional)
1 8-ounce package cream cheese, room temperature
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
2 cups powdered sugar
Orange and black food coloring; orange, black, white, and yellow candies and sugar crystals
Preparation
Preheat oven to 350°F. Line 24 mini muffin cups with 1 3/4x 1-inch paper liners. Mix flour, golden brown sugar, and pumpkin pie spice in large bowl. Whisk egg, canned pure pumpkin, vegetable oil, sour cream, and vanilla extract in medium bowl. Add mixture to dry ingredients; stir to fully combine. Spoon batter into paper liners (batter will almost fill liners). Scatter crystallized ginger over, if desired. Bake cupcakes until tester inserted into center comes out clean, about 16 minutes. Remove cupcakes from pan and let cool completely on rack. Using electric mixer, beat cream cheese and butter in large bowl to blend. Beat in powdered sugar. 

Divide frosting among 3 bowls. Tint frosting in first bowl with orange coloring (or combine red and yellow coloring to make orange) and frosting in second bowl with black coloring, keeping frosting in third bowl white. Chill frosting 2 hours or until firm enough to easily spread. Frost cupcakes; decorate using candy and sugar crystals as desired.

Ingredients

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon coarse salt
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
• 1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
• 1 cup packed light-brown sugar
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, melted and cooled
• 4 large eggs, lightly beaten
• 1 can (15 ounces) pumpkin puree

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line cupcake pans with paper liners; set aside. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and allspice; set aside.

In a large bowl, whisk together, brown sugar, granulated sugar, butter, and eggs. Add dry ingredients, and whisk until smooth. Whisk in pumpkin puree.

Divide batter evenly among liners, filling each about halfway. Bake until tops spring back when touched, and a cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean, 20 to 25 minutes, rotating pans once if needed. Transfer to a wire rack; let cool completely.

What you will need: (makes about 12 mini pumpkins)
12-Cavity Mini Bundt Pan, found where Wilton products are sold, I found mine at Walmart.
1 Cake Mix of your preferred flavor
1 can frosting, cream cheese or vanilla
Orange sanding sugar
Tootsie rolls 

Bake your recipe or mix according to the directions, but make sure to fully coat your pan with cooking spray. After baking, let the cakes cool completely before trying to remove them from the pans. You may have excess cake creating a “muffin top”, which can be cut off like in the photos above.

Place one cake on top of the other and it’s already beginning to look like a mini pumpkin!

Form the stems out of tootsie rolls and create a tootsie roll “disk” so the stem doesn’t fall through the hole on the top of the cake, and set aside.

Spread your frosting in between the two cakes and frost the outside. It doesn’t need to be perfect, since you will be covering the pumpkins with sanding sugar, but you may have to put them in the freezer for a few minutes for easier spreading. Place the tootsie roll stems in the top of the mini bundt cake and cover with extra frosting. Sprinkle sanding sugar over the whole pumpkin.

8 cups Reese’s Puffs cereal
4 tbsp smooth peanut butter
8-oz cream cheese, room temperature
1/2 cup confectioners’ sugar
12-oz white chocolate chips (1 bag)
1/4 cup semisweet chocolate chips

In a food processor, process Reese’s Puffs cereal until it is finely ground. Add in peanut butter, cream cheese and confectioners’ sugar and blend until very smooth.

Shape cereal mixture into 1-inch balls, place on a sheet of wax paper and chill in the refrigerator until firm, about 30 minutes.

In a small microwave-safe bowl, melt the white chocolate. Dip each of the chilled truffle balls into the white chocolate, turn to coat and place back on the sheet of wax paper. Repeat to cover all remaining balls. Chill until chocolate is firm, about 30 minutes.

In a small microwave-safe bowl, melt the semisweet chocolate chips. Dip a toothpick into the chocolate and use it to draw ghost eyes and mouths on each of the truffles. Chill until ready to serve. Makes about 36 spooky truffles

Ingredients
1 1/2 cups toasted pecans 
1 cup heavy cream 
1 cup granulated sugar 
1/2 cup light corn syrup 
1 teaspoon vanilla extract 
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, in pieces 
1/4 teaspoon salt 
5 ounces thin black licorice strands, cut into 2-inch pieces 
6 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped 
4 ounces milk chocolate, chopped 
Chocolate curls or jimmies, optional
Directions
Line 2 baking sheets with waxed paper and lightly spray with nonstick spray. Mound 30 small clusters of pecans, about 3 or 4 pecans each, spaced a couple inches apart on the pan. 

Make caramel: Warm the cream over low heat and keep warm while you cook the sugar. 

Put the sugar and corn syrup and in a deep, heavy-bottomed large saucepan. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally until the sugar dissolves. Stop stirring, raise heat to medium-high, and simmer until the sugar reaches the hard crack stage, or 305 degrees F on a candy thermometer, about 7 minutes. 

Whisk the butter and salt into the sugar mixture. Gradually pour in the cream and vanilla taking care since the mixture will bubble up. Reduce the heat to medium and continue to cook, stirring occasionally, until the sugar reaches soft ball stage, 240 degrees F on the thermometer, about 5 minutes more. Immediately remove from the heat and cool for a minute. 

Ladle a couple tablespoons of warm caramel over some of the nut clusters, to make the spider bodies. Then press 6 pieces of licorice into the warm caramel to make the legs. Repeat with the remaining caramel and licorice. (It’s helpful to have an extra hand here, since the caramel can set quickly. If caramel hardens, warm over very low heat. ) Let spiders cool 15 minutes. 

Meanwhile, put the chocolates in a medium heatproof bowl. Bring a saucepan filled with 1-inch or so of water to a very slow simmer; set the bowl over, but not touching, the water. Stir the chocolate occasionally until melted and smooth. (Alternatively, put the chocolate in a medium microwave-safe bowl. Melt at 50 percent power in the microwave until soft, about 1 minute. Stir, and continue heat until completely melted, 2 to 3 minutes more.) 

Spoon about 1 tablespoon of melted chocolate on top of each spider. Sprinkle with jimmies or chocolate curls, if desired. Let cool until firm. 

Ingredients
Black decorating sugar, for the glass 
Juice of 1 lime, plus 1 lime wedge 
1/4 cup dark rum 
1/4 cup ginger beer or all-natural ginger ale 
1 black gummy spider
Directions
Spread out the black sugar on a small plate. Rub the lime wedge around the rim of a rocks glass; dip the glass in the black sugar, then fill with ice. 

Combine the rum and lime juice in a cocktail shaker. Fill with ice and shake well. Carefully strain into the glass, minding the sugar on the rim. Top the drink with ginger beer and add the gummy spider.

Ingredients
For the infused vodka: 
1/2 cup candy corn 
1 1/2 cups vodka 
For the cordials: 
2 ounces orange liqueur 
Juice of 1/2 lemon 
1 large egg white 
Candy corn, for garnish
Directions
Infuse the vodka: Combine the candy corn and vodka in an airtight container; set aside for at least 3 hours, then strain. 

Make the cordials: Add 4 ounces of the candy corn vodka, the orange liqueur, lemon juice and egg white to a cocktail shaker filled with ice. Shake vigorously for at least 30 seconds. Strain into 2 chilled martini glasses and garnish with candy corn.

Ingredients
3 1/2 cups powdered sugar, plus extra, as needed 
1/4 cup pasteurized liquid egg white product 
1 teaspoon water, plus extra, as needed 
1/4 teaspoon pure peppermint extract 
Orange food coloring, as needed, optional 
2 (4-ounce) bars 53 percent cocoa dark chocolate, chopped into 1/2-inch pieces (recommended: Nestle Chocolatier) 
1 teaspoon vegetable oil
Directions
Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Set aside. 

In a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, combine the powdered sugar, egg white product, 1 teaspoon water, peppermint extract and 1 to 2 drops of food coloring, if using. Mix on low speed until smooth. Increase the speed to high and beat until the mixture forms a stiff dough (if the mixture becomes too stiff, add extra water, 1/2 teaspoon at a time and beat until smooth). Put the mixture on a work surface dusted with powdered sugar and roll it into a log about 12-inches long and 1 1/4-inches in diameter. Slice the log into 1/4 to 1/2-inch pieces, form them into balls and flatten into discs. Arrange in single layers on the prepared baking sheets. Let the candies dry, uncovered, at room temperature for 3 hours. 

Put the chocolate and vegetable oil in a small bowl and set it over a pan of barely simmering water. Stir until the chocolate is smooth and melted. Dip 1 half of each candy into the melted chocolate and return them to the parchment paper until the chocolate has set, about 3 hours.

Ingredients
3 tablespoons olive oil 
1/2 fennel bulb, chopped, about 2 1/2 cups 
1/2 large onion, chopped, about 1 cup 
4 cloves garlic, smashed 
1 1/4 teaspoons kosher salt 
1 teaspoon fennel seed 
1/8 to 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes, optional 
1 (28-ounce) can plum tomatoes, preferably San Marzano 
2 cups homemade vegetable broth or low-sodium canned 
2 cups tomato juice 
6 basil leaves, torn
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice 
Fresh ground black pepper, to taste 

Directions
Heat olive oil in a medium sauce pot over medium-high heat. Add fennel, onion, garlic, salt, fennel seed and crushed pepper, if using, and cook until vegetables soften and brown slightly, about 5 minutes. Drain and reserve juice from the tomatoes, then crush tomatoes gently with your hands. Add the tomatoes, increase heat to high, and cook until they begin to brown slightly, about 5 minutes. 

Add the reserved tomato juice, vegetable broth, tomato juice, and basil leaves. Bring to a boil, stir, reduce heat to medium low, cover and cook until vegetables are cooked through and soup reduces and thickens, about 30 minutes. 

Remove pot from stove and puree the soup in batches, with an immersion, regular blender, or food processor. Stir in lemon juice and season with pepper to taste. Serve.

Muenster Sammies with Apple Jelly:
16 (3 1/2-inch square) slices Westphalian Pumpernickel, or other thin black bread 
1/2 cup apple jelly 
8 slices muenster cheese, about 3 ounces
8 slices yellow cheddar cheese, about 3 ounces
Optional garnishes:
Dill pickle rounds
Fennel fronds 
Spanish olives with pimentos
Special equipment: Cookie cutters (pumpkins, ghosts, black cat, bats and witches), optional 

Toast bread in toaster or toaster oven until slightly crisp, about 5 minutes (or less if using a toaster.) Spread one side of each slice of bread with apple jelly. Layer the cheese over the apple jelly, top with remaining slice of bread. Cut out as desired. Garnish as desired. 

Yield: 8 sandwiches