Free Saving Savannah by Sandra Hill

 . .” Tante Lulu began.
    That alone caused Mrs. Carrington to bristle.
    “. . . there are three ways a person kin become a Cajun. By birth. By marriage. And by the back door. Yer son and Savannah are now honorary Cajuns. They came in by my back door.”
    “Grandpa! Grandma!” Katie came racing toward the couple, whom she’d been introduced to for the first time this morning.
    Mr. Carrington hunkered down to Katie’s level, uncaring of the wrinkles in his thousand dollar suit, and gave her a big hug. Mrs. Carrington, whose designer dress probably cost more than most cars in the parking lot, didn’t scrooch down, but the smile that melted the constant frown on her face was a good sign. Maybe she wasn’t so bad, after all.
    Later, Tante Lulu brought a late arrival over and introduced him to Matthew and Savannah. “Matthew, this is Major General Paul Duvall from Fort Polk, here in Loo-zee-anna. Paul, this is Captain Matthew Carrington. He’s a war hero.”
    Matthew cringed at the introduction and cringed even more when he realized the old lady’s motive.
    “Wouldn’t it be nice if Matthew could be assigned to Fort Polk soz he and his family kin live right here on the bayou?”
    Savannah was the one to cringe then. It was one thing for Tante Lulu to interfere in their personal lives, but quite another for her to mess with Matthew’s professional career.
    The major put up a hand to halt their coming protests and laughed. “Now, Tante Lulu, that’s something to be decided by me and Captain Carrington and a lot of high-ups.”
    “I know higher-ups,” Tante Lulu said, a little miffed at their lack of appreciation for her efforts.
    “I’m sure you do,” they all said as one.
    “For now, I’ll be returning to Fort Dix with Savannah and Katie. We’ll see what happens from there,” Matthew told Tante Lulu in a conciliatory tone.
    After all the dancing and eating and drinking and toasts, Matthew and Savannah were about to begin their last dance, a Cajun version of Garth Brooks’ “The Dance” being played by the band. Soon they would be off to a short honeymoon in the Bahamas. They were taking their daughter with them.
    As they moved slowly together in the dance, unaware of others joining them on the dance floor, Savannah said with tears misting her eyes, “I’m so happy. I don’t know what the future holds, but this is such a great start.”
    “I know what the future holds,” Matthew declared, swiping one of her tears with his thumb. “It will be whatever we make it and a lot of that Cajun philosophy that Tante Lulu keeps spouting.”
    Savannah smiled. “ Laissez le bons temp rouler? Let the good times roll?”
    “Guar-an-teed!” Matt answered in an exaggerated Cajun accent.
    Tante Lulu danced by in a lively two-step with the elderly butcher Gustave Boudreaux. She raised her eyes upward and whispered, “Thanks again, St. Jude. Another match made in heaven!”
    The End
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Tante Lulu’s Beignets
     
    History: Beignets (pronounced BEN-yea) have long been a Southern Louisiana specialty, particularly in New Orleans where they were made most famous by the French Quarter’s Café du Monde. Best served with café au lait, especially for breakfast, beignets are considered the forerunner of modern doughnuts, minus the holes. Nothing more than fried pieces of raised dough sprinkled profusely with powdered sugar, the beignet has to be tasted to be appreciated. Tante Lulu loves to serve them to her guests.
    Ingredients:
1 envelope dry yeast
1/2 c. warm water
4-5 c. flour
1 c. evaporated milk
1/2 c. granulated sugar
1/2 c. shortening (or ½ c. canola oil, or 3 tsp. softened butter)
1 X-large egg, or 2 small eggs, beaten
1 tsp. salt
2 c. powdered sugar
Oil for deep frying
    Directions:
    Mix water, granulated sugar, and yeast in a bowl and set aside for a half hour. Beat together the egg/s, salt, and evaporated milk and add to the yeast mixture. Stir in half of the