Happy Fat Tuesday

It's Fat Tuesday, otherwise known as Paczki Day!

{image via Google}

Until I moved to Chicago, I had never heard of these delicious little doughy balls of sweetness.  Pronounced poonch-key, these Polish treats are a Fat Tuesday staple.  They're made of fried dough filled with a variety of sweet fillings such as raspberry, chocolate and my personal favorite, cream cheese. 

Oh, I know what you're thinking.  It's a jelly donut.  I get it.  I too felt that way, until I tried one.  Perhaps it's the fact that you can only buy them one day out of the entire year, but they are seriously the most delightful fried dough filled with jelly and other goodness that you will ever eat on a Tuesday.  Trust me.

Last year, while pregnant with my daughter, I inhaled two three of these, filled by an afternoon of heartburn-induced remorse. This year, I'm going to try to exercise some restraint.

Enjoy!