How to make mouth watering Beignets

After watching Disney's, The Princess and the Frog, my family was fascinated by Princess Tiana's two-dimensional beignets that seemed to jump from the TV screen into my family of fours living room. What exactly was a beignet? I had to question myself, but my Florida upbringing was far from the Louisiana Bayou's, and French Quarter Cuisine.

My pursuit of deliciousness left me scouring the Internet for days, resulting in test batch after batch of beignets. I tried scrumptious recipes from Cooks.com, Allrecipes.com, Foodnetwork.com, and various other sites. Even my shero Paula Deen had her own version.

I soon realized, "You have to make a recipe your own". My pursuit of perfection finally paid off. The freedictionary.com's definition of a beignet is, "A square donut with no hole." My families definition of a beignet is, "A light and airy pastry, causing sheer happiness!" Please enjoy our recipe, Inspired by Ray and his Evangeline, a beautiful shining star throughout the film.

INGREDIENTS

• 8 cups all-purpose flour
• 4 tbsp butter
• 2 eggs (lightly beaten)
• 1 cup evaporated milk
• 1 1/2 cups white sugar
• 2 1/2 teaspoons of active dry yeast
• 1 cup of powdered sugar (for dusting)
• 2 teaspoons of vanilla extract
• 2 cups of hot water
• 2 quarts of vegetable oil (for frying)
• 1 star shaped cookie cutter (optional)

1. Add 2 cups hot water in a mixing bowl, then add yeast. Let set for 5 mins.

2. Next add Milk, eggs, white sugar, and stir in 2 cups of flour.

3. Third add Vanila extract, and butter.

4. Slowly add remaining flour while turning with a dough hook, or by hand with a spoon. (either way do not overwork dough)

5. (Remove dough from mixer if dough hook was used) Cover the bowl with saran wrap, and refrigerate 2 to 3 hours. Let it rise.

6. Roll out dough 1/4 inch thick. Cut with star shaped cookie cutter, or into 2 inch squares.

7. Fry in hot oil 360 degrees F until golden brown both sides. (Once done they should float) Drain on paper towels, and dust with powdered sugar. Serve Warm. Bon appetite!