Calendar girls and "soups on"

These are the creations from my daughter's 13th birthday party. What a talented bunch!

Too many tomatoes from the garden? Here is a DELICIOUS recipe to use them all up! Putzy but worth it!

Tomato soup with basil dumplings

¼ C olive oil
2 large onions, sliced
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 carrots, peeled and finely diced
2 celery ribs, diced
1 sweet red pepper, seeded and diced
2 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
1 tsp sugar
3 C well-seasoned chicken stock
3 pounds very ripe fresh Italian plum tomatoes, peeled, seeded, and diced
1 Tbsp gin (optional)

1 C all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
Salt and pepper to taste
3 eggs
2 Tbsp vegetable oil
¾ C torn fresh basil leaves

Heat olive oil in a large, heavy soup pot. Add onions and garlic. Sauté’ over medium heat, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes. Add carrots, celery, red pepper, lemon juice, sugar, and chicken broth. Simmer for 15 minutes. Strain out vegetables; return broth to the pot. Puree vegetables in a food processor or blender and return to soup pot. Add tomatoes and gin; simmer for 10 minutes or until soup begins to thicken. Watch carefully and don’t allow it to burn.

Meanwhile-Get a large pot of water to a boil. Combine flour, baking powder, and ½ tsp salt in a large bowl. Add eggs and oil; beat until dough is sticky. Stir in ½ C basil. Drop dough by ½ teaspoons into the large pot of boiling water. Simmer dumplings, uncovered, until they rise to the surface and then 3 to 4 minutes longer, turning periodically, until they are cooked through. (Test one by cutting in half to be sure the center is no longer raw).

Drain dumplings in a colander, rinse under cold water, and drain again. Set aside until ready to add to the soup. Add dumpling to the hot soup and serve at once. Garnish with remaining basil.