Fatally Frosted Read Online Free PDF Page A

taste and texture. While they might not technically be the classic New Orleans style of beignet, Suzanne likes them, and so does my family!
INGREDIENTS
    • 2 packets active dry yeast (½ oz. total)
    • 1½ cups warm water
    • ½ cup white sugar
    • ½ teaspoon salt
    • 2 eggs
    • 1 cup evaporated milk
    • 6–7 cups all-purpose flour
    • ¼ cup shortening
    • ¼ cup confectioners’ sugar
    • Frying oil, 360 degrees F.
DIRECTIONS
    Dissolve the yeast in warm water, then add the sugar, salt, eggs, and evaporated milk, and stir it all together thoroughly.
    Mix in about half of the flour and beat the mixture again until smooth.
    Add the shortening, and then the remaining 3 cups of flour. I like to break with tradition here and add enough flour to work lightly on a board, adding a little oil if the dough gets too dry.
    Cover the dough and chill it for at least an hour, but you can wait until the next day if you’d like, though be warned, it will keep raising and might take on a life of its own.
    Roll out the dough ¼- to-inch thick. Cut it into squares 2½ to 3 inches. Though it’s not the traditional shape, I like to use my ravioli cutter to make rounds.
    Fry them in hot oil for two minutes on each side, or until they’re done, then dust with confectioner’s sugar and eat. I like these best served warm. You can also add fillings like jam or pudding to these, but my family likes them plain.
    Yield: 3–4 dozen

CHAPTER 2
    “Suzanne, you’re early,” Marge said as she let me into her house through the back door the next morning.
    It was true that I wasn’t due to show up for another half hour, but I hadn’t been able to wait a minute longer. I’d had the perfect opportunity to sleep in before the kickoff of the kitchen tour, but I’d lain in bed tossing for hours, waiting until a decent hour when most folks got up. By six AM I couldn’t take it anymore, so I put on some sweats and a T-shirt and took a walk in the park that bordered our house. After a long shower when I got back home and more time spent picking out what I was going to wear than I’d ever taken in my life, I still had too much time to kill. Even dawdling over breakfast with my mother just killed an hour, and though I hadn’t planned to be at Marge’s until nine, I was knocking on her door at twenty-seven minutes past eight. I had to smile when I saw the fresh, oversized corsage pinned to her elegant dress. If her attire was from Gabby’s shop, it had been very lightly worn.
    “I’m sorry,” I said as I glanced at my watch. “If you’d like, I can come back later. I’m sure I can findsomething to do in town.” It had taken every bit of my self-restraint to keep from popping in on Emma at the donut shop, but I’d promised myself that I wouldn’t do it, and I was going to keep my word.
    Marge frowned at me for a second, but then her creased lips were wiped clean with a smile. “Now don’t be silly. Of course you can come in. I’ve got a surprise for you,” she added as she led me inside.
    “I’m not certain I’m up for any surprises today,” I said as I followed her into the house. Though the tour featured kitchens only, it was clear that Marge had realized she had to spruce up the rest of her house as well. There were fresh flowers throughout the place, and a shine on every surface.
    I asked, “Did you buy all new furniture, too?” There were some pieces that I didn’t recognize from my last visit, and an Oriental rug I knew was new. She must have spent a fortune.
    “No,” she said simply.
    “Marge, I was just here a few days ago, remember?”
    She shook her head slightly, then said, “Fine. If you must know, I contacted a staging company in Charlotte. They’re responsible for all of this.”
    I looked around at the elegant antiques. “Are you trying to tell me that this furniture was all in a play?”
    She laughed. “Not that kind of stage, Suzanne. The company helps sell million-dollar houses, and they stage each