Oh Happy Day

A couple of years ago, we were taking Mike back to Midway Airport to catch a 6 PM flight when the skies opened up and, within minutes, streets became flooded and impassable. We slowly worked our way over to Midway, but couldn't make it in time for him to catch his flight. He went inside and checked in with customer service and found out he could catch a flight the next morning at 6AM. So, the next morning, we left home about 4 AM and headed for Midway again.  I dropped him off in plenty of time and headed for home. I was feeling pretty tired and a little hungry because we hadn't eaten anything on the way to the airport (important rule - don't fly on a full stomach) so I drove through Palatine and stopped at one of our favorite guilty pleasures: Spunky Dunkers. It was about 5:30 and I was surprised to find that they were already crowded. Imagine my surprise and pleasure when I found out that it was an important day in the life of a doughnut shop - Paczki Tuesday.  

If you are not familiar with these fluffy balls of goodness, paczki (pronounced "PUNCH-key," "POONCH-key" or "POANCH-key" depending on which part of Poland you are from) are a traditional pre-Lenten feast. According to The Huffington Post, making the fried, cream-filled paczki was a way observant Catholics could empty their stock of lard, sugar, eggs and fruit — foods typically avoided during the Lenten fast — before Ash Wednesday. Traditional paczek (the singular of paczki) fillings include rose-hip, cherry and prune, though most bakeries include more modern fillings like custard, chocolate, raspberry and lemon curd.  

At Spunky Dunkers in Palatine, all they had for sale on the Tuesday I was there were paczki - no apple fritters or eclairs or cake doughnuts with sprinkles. And I was fine with that because they are amazingly good. This year Paczki Day is next Tuesday, February 9th. So make plans to get out and celebrate your Polish heritage next Tuesday. I'm pretty sure they are on your diet, so don't worry about that. Just enjoy.