Looking back at my New Orleans posts, I thought I would post a couple of recipes of the items I ate. The first one in Beignets. For those of you who have never been to New Orleans, and you really have not been to New Orleans if you have not eaten Beignets, Beignets are New Orleans version of a donut. These dough squares are fried until they puff, then you top them with powdered sugar. If you don't want to make them by scratch, you can always get a box of Cafe du Monde Beignet mix. You can find them in some stores or you can order it on-line.

Beignets

1½ cups Lukewarm Water

½ cup Granulated Sugar

1 envelope Active Dry Yeast

2 Eggs, slightly beaten

1-¼ teaspoons Salt

1 cup Evaporated Milk

7 cups Bread Flour

¼ cup shortening, soften

Peanut Oil for frying

Powdered Sugar

Mix water, sugar and yeast in a large bowl and let sit for 10 minutes. In another bowl, beat the eggs, salt and evaporated milk together. Mix the egg mixture to the yeast mixture. Add 3 cups of the flour to the mixture and stir to combine. Add the shortening and continue to stir while adding the remaining flour. Remove the dough from the bowl, place on a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth. Spray a large bowl with nonstick spray. Put dough in bowl and cover with a towel. Let rise in a warm place for at least 2 hours. Preheat peanut oil in a deep fryer to 350 degrees F. Roll the dough out to about ¼ inch thickness and cut into 1-inch squares. Deep-Fry, flipping constantly, until they become a golden color. When Beignets are done, quickly drain on paper towels, and then sprinkle with powdered sugar. Serve immediately.

Enjoy!