Man-catching beignets

Funny that as I was typing "man," I typed "Mac." Very appropriate. I can't testify to any actual man-catching ability as I already had a captive audience of two men. But they both really liked these.

In honor of New Orleans hosting the Super Bowl, I decided to make beignets. Mardi Gras is also this week! I found a delightfully easy recipe from Paula Deen and whipped up a batch of these fried, sugary treats. FYI, this recipe makes a lot of beignets, so feel free to invite your closest twenty friends when you get to frying. You'll want to let these cool a bit but eat them while they're hot.

What you'll need:

1 1/2 cups lukewarm water
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 envelope active dry yeast
2 eggs, slightly beaten
1 1/4 teaspoons salt
1 cup evaporated milk
7 cups bread flour
1/4 cup shortening
Nonstick spray
Oil, for deep-frying
3 cups confectioners’ sugar

Let's get cooking:

1. Mix water, sugar, and yeast in a large bowl and let sit for 10 minutes.

2. In another bowl, beat the eggs, salt and evaporated milk together. Add egg mixture to the yeast mixture. Measure out the bread flour. Add 3 cups of the flour to the yeast mixture and stir to combine. Add the shortening and continue to stir while adding the remaining flour.

3. Remove dough from the bowl, place onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth. Spray a large bowl with nonstick spray. Put dough into the bowl and cover with plastic wrap or a towel. Let rise in a warm place for at least 2 hours. You can also refrigerate the dough for up to a week. Just let it rise again once you take it out of the fridge.

4. Preheat oil in a deep-fryer to 350 degrees F.

5. Add the confectioners’ sugar to a paper or plastic bag and set aside.

6. Roll the dough out to about 1/4-inch thickness and cut into 1-inch squares. A pizza cutter works quite well.

7. Deep-fry, flipping constantly, until they become a golden color.

8. After beignets are fried, drain them for a few seconds on paper towels, and then toss them into the bag of confectioners’ sugar. Hold bag closed and shake to coat evenly.