Page 33 (1/2)

She said quietly, "All right, Mr Boudreaux You have a deal"

She stood and held out her hand I rose, crossed to her, and took it Staring down into her beautiful brown eyes, I said, "How many ti oing to be your wife, I ought to have a nickname for you Does anyone call you Jax?"

Oh God, she antuan effort of will, I pushed aside the memory of the intensely sexual dream I’d had about her after the first tih "No one calls me Jax No one but you"

When her lips curved up at the corners, I felt like I’d been living my life up to then at the bottom of a dark well filled with trash and slimy water, and someone had just lifted the lid and lowered me a ladder

FRENCH QUARTER BEIGNETS

Makes about 3 dozen

1½ cups ater

½ cup white sugar

1 envelope active dry yeast

2 eggs

1¼ teaspoon salt

1 cup evaporated

1 quart vegetable oil

3 cups confectioners’ sugar

Preparation

Mix water, sugar, and yeast in large bowl and let sit for 10 s, salt, and evaporatedmixture into yeast /yeastandflour until all ingredients are well cohtly floured surface and knead until sh with plastic wrap or towel Let rise at room temperature for 2–3 hours

Preheat oil in a deep fryer to 350 degrees

Roll the dough out to ¼² thickness and cut into 2² squares Deep fry in batches, flipping constantly, until golden (If beignets don’t pop up, oil isn’t hot enough)

Drain on paper towels

Shake confectioners’ sugar onto hot beignets Serve warm

NINETEEN

BIANCA

I left the saht with anxiety