Fat Tuesday - Paczki Crazy

[hops99]

So, we've sold over 200 dozen homemade paczkis so far today, and it's not even noon yet. I think I'll enjoy a nice prune paczki tonight with a couple bottles of Weihenstephaner Korbinian.

[Chris St Mary]

That should clean you out well. Wouldn't a raspberry packzi work better with a hefeweizen? Just a thought.:D

[chazwicke]

For Lent I'm gonna give up being wrong.



Laissez Les Bon Temp Roulez!

[Seymour]

Post from the rube gallery: what's a paczki, and how do you pronounce it? Out here, if it ain't made outta beef 'n' taters, it ain't made:rolleyes: .

[DecoJuicer]

It's pronounced poon-shki and it is a fruit(or in some instances, custard) filled donut like food. If made properly, they are approximately 800 calories each with about 40 grams of fat. They are a Polish pastry. Being of Polish heritage(1/4 pollack) and living in an area with a high Polish population, there is no possible way to avoid these delicious, yet unheathly treats.

[hops99]

Deco pretty much nailed it. We make our paczkis from scratch, and they basically have about 3 times the amount of butter and shortening as a regular donut. They're a tad bigger (but not always) as regular raised donuts, and feel as heavy as a softball. We fill ours with apple, raspberry, black raspberry, lemon, prune, and bavarian cream.

They're a long-standing Polish tradition to eat the day before Lent, and they've exponentially grown in population here in Southeast Michigan/Northwest Ohio the last 10 years or so. I believe the town of Hamtramck (a small Polish community surrounded by Detroit) in Michigan has been Paczki Central, and it's spread from there.

We're up to 285 dozen sold now.

[chazwicke]

I've also decided to give up sacrifice for Lent. During lent I will not sacrifice anything I normally do.

I might also give up peas.

[DecoJuicer]

Originally posted by chazwicke
I might also give up peas.

But never beets!!!

Hops99,

I work about 8 miles north of Hamtramck, we generally end up with about 6 dozen of them at work every year. I am partial to the raspberry and bavarian creme. There is also a small polish bakery that I pass on the way home sometimes. There was a line around the building at 6:30 this morning. Needless to say, I didn't stop.

[Chris St Mary]

Never heard of them until I married a Polish girl from Western New York. Now, they're unavoidable on Fat Tuesday. Kinda like a last fling before Lent. Buffalo, N.Y. has the second largest Polish-American population in the country. Only beaten by Chicago and THEY used to be second to us.
Hey, Chaz. I'm giving up chocolate. The past three years I gave up beer and was o.k. until last year when I started traveling for work. So many beers to try and I had given them up for Lent. I got smart and decided to give up chocolate this year. Good thing, too. I'm going to Portland, OR in April and CAN'T go without beer there. REALLY looking forward to that trip. I wonder if I can have a "chocolate" stout?

[chazwicke]

Portland, OR has something like 40 breweries / brewpubs! chocolate is better choice. At least this year.;)

[DecoJuicer]

I am not Catholic, and I don't pretend to be an expert on the Catholic Church or their traditions, but isn't lent supposed to be about depriving yourself of the material thing that you love most? Like certain foods, drinks, etc.? If you really love beer, and chocolate is you second favorite thing, isn't that sort of cheating?

I am not trying to be disrespectful or rude. I really want to know.

[chazwicke]

I'm not Catholic either. However the Protestant church that I was brought up in also observed Lent.

[Chris St Mary]

The way I understand it, you are supposed to give up something that you enjoy alot. I never heard anything about giving up the thing you enjoy the most but I assume that it ends up that way most of the time. I just know how bad of a time I had last year when I was on the road and had an opportunity to try a beer that I never had before and probably would never have the chance again.
It seems to me that most people don't even try to follow that tradition anymore, anyway. I grew up doing it but hadn't done it again until 3 years ago.

[corkybstewart]

I prefer Chaz's approach. Moderation is very important to me these days, trying to get healthy and all. I'm giving up moderation.

[wortchillergoal]

I sell a good deal of Chruscki this time of year. The instorre bakery sells the paczkis, but I don't think they are as good as what Hops99 is making.

For lent, I give up telling jokes expect for those days that end in "y".

[Bugz-TT]

Okay for some research, I looked up some of the customs of Lent. Being I grew up as a Catholic, but gave up on them in my college years, I had not heard of the whole idea of giving something up until I got to college.


All About Lent FAQ (http://www.cin.org/users/james/files/lent.htm)
Here are some things I copied from that page:

Q: What are appropriate activities for ordinary days during Lent?

A: Giving up something we enjoy for Lent, doing of physical or spiritual acts of mercy for others, prayer, fasting, abstinence, going to confession, and other acts expressing repentance in general.

Q: Is the custom of giving up something for Lent mandatory?

A: No. However, it is a salutary custom, and parents or caretakers may choose to require it of their children to encourage their spiritual training, which is their prime responsibility in the raising of their children.


Q: Since Sundays are not counted in the forty days of Lent, does the custom of giving up something apply to them?

A: Customarily, no. However, since the giving up of something is voluntary to begin with, there is no official rule concerning this aspect of it. Nevertheless, since Sundays are days of celebration, it is appropriate to suspend the Lenten self-denial on them that, in a spiritual and non-excessive way, we may celebrate the day of Our Lord's resurrection so that that day and that event may be contrasted with the rest of the days of Lent and the rest of the events of history. This heightened contrast deepens the spiritual lessons taught by the rest of Lent.

[DecoJuicer]

Well, now I know. And knowing is half the battle.

[steveh]

Originally posted by DecoJuicer
It's pronounced poon-shki

In Chicago it's "Poonch-kee." Dunno, looks like a jelly donut ta me. ;-)

S.

[steveh]

Originally posted by hops99
I believe the town of Hamtramck (a small Polish community surrounded by Detroit) in Michigan has been Paczki Central, and it's spread from there.

We're up to 285 dozen sold now.

Home of Walter "Walt" Waldowski, better known as the Painless Pole - ask MDMBLU what I'm blathering about...

Pretty good numbers there - in Chicago I know that lines to (good) bakeries start forming well before dawn - we even had packzi in our company cafeteria this morning!

S.

[DecoJuicer]

The biggest difference between a paczki and a jelly donut, is the weight. Pick up one of each and compare the weight. the paczki will be much heavier. It will also be much richer. Like hops99 said, there is about 3 times the butter and shortning in them.

Mmmmmm...Paczki's

[mdblu1]

[QUOTE]Originally posted by steveh
[B]Home of Walter "Walt" Waldowski, better known as the Painless Pole - ask MDMBLU what I'm blathering about...

Would that be D.D.S.?:D

[ClockworkOrange]

I just had one with bavarian cream and dusted with powdered sugar, but alot of people around here will argue till' next week that a true paczki is plain - no filling and no powdered sugar just fresh out of the fryer and slightly crisp.

[steveh]

Originally posted by mdblu1
[QUOTE]Originally posted by steveh
[B]Home of Walter "Walt" Waldowski, better known as the Painless Pole - ask MDMBLU what I'm blathering about...

Would that be D.D.S.?:D

That it would, comrade! Finestkind!

S.

[hops99]

The biggest difference between a paczki and a jelly donut, is the weight. Pick up one of each and compare the weight. the paczki will be much heavier. It will also be much richer.

Hey, forget all the non-believers - more paczkis for you and me, Deco!




The instorre bakery sells the paczkis, but I don't think they are as good as what Hops99 is making.


Avoid the big grocery store paczkis - they're mostly mass-marketed crap made in some minimum wage commissary, frozen, then thawed and served. Bleeccchhh! Stick with an authentic Polish bakery, or a place that is renowned for homemade paczkis...

[DecoJuicer]

The only ones that got delivered today was a box of grocery store paczki's. I'm going to stop at a local bakery tomorrow and see if they have any left. My kids have never had one. I wish that I would have had time today to get out and get some.

[corkybstewart]

We just finished our Mardi Gras party. We have a group of friends from France who party with us, as well as my boss and his wife, and assorted others. This year we made gumbo with 7 pounds of Mobile Bay shrimp, 4 pounds of okra, onions, celery, bell pepper, etc. Started cooking yesterday afternoon, added the shrimp at the last minute. Also had a crawfish/cream cheese dip, a bunch of different cheeses, pate, etc. The favorite drink of the evening was my Belgian dubbel and my decaff coffee porter. Of course the wife drank wine, but the coffee porter was the. Nobody here could even imagine beer and coffee together. And of course Sirius Blues on the music box!!

[chazwicke]

I had to suffer through Mexican. :( And not very good at that. Chili relleno.

[corkybstewart]

But a good chile relleno is a masterpiece. We like them stuffed with meat and cheese. And of course it has to be a New Mexican chile. The farm I buy mine from has BigJims that are close to 10 inches long and very thick. Theeir also hot which is rare for the really big chiles.

[Vienna Lager]

I'm in the middle of a polish-german-irish Catholic portion of the state and the only thing as big as 'Poon-chaks' are home made dumplings and pierogies and Point Special Beer and polkas and......

[hops99]

And of course it has to be a New Mexican chile.

Hatch!

[chazwicke]

Originally posted by corkybstewart
But a good chile relleno is a masterpiece. We like them stuffed with meat and cheese. And of course it has to be a New Mexican chile. The farm I buy mine from has BigJims that are close to 10 inches long and very thick. Theeir also hot which is rare for the really big chiles.


I usually like Chile Relleno. It is my fav. Mexican dish.

[ClockworkOrange]

The only Mexican dish I have trouble warming up to is a tamale.

[HogieWan]

Originally posted by chazwicke
I usually like Chile Relleno. It is my fav. Mexican dish.

We think alike in too many ways, there, Chaz.

[corkybstewart]

Haldeman Farms just east of Artesia is better, at least for me. I buy them the day they're picked, whereas Hatch chile is several days old when it gets here. And the last few years, the Artesia has been much hotter, except for 2004 when there was no chile over here due to weather.

[Chris St Mary]

except for 2004 when there was no chile over here due to weather.
Isn't that an oxymoron? I'd be willing to bet that if the temp got down to about 40 F, it would be chilly all over the state of New Mexico.:p

[corkybstewart]

Perhaps, but we try to avoid chilly chile. And in 2004 ironically, the problem was wet chile,not chilly chilly, or even hot chile.

[DecoJuicer]

mmmm.....hot chile

Which reminds me...I took some of the chili that I made with the chiles to work on Monday. The girl that I was working with said that, "I love spicy food! It can't be too spicy for me." After the first bite she said, "Are you trying to kill me?!?!?!?" Then she put cheese and sour cream on it. I just kept eating.

This second batch is much hotter than the first. I was running short on some chiles, so I played the substitution game.

I think that I will go have a bowl right now.

[corkybstewart]

You must have made a bunch of it. Ours only lasted through a second day. Right now I'm warming up a small pot of gumbo for lunch.

[Seymour]

Originally posted by mdblu1
[QUOTE]Originally posted by steveh
[B]Home of Walter "Walt" Waldowski, better known as the Painless Pole - ask MDMBLU what I'm blathering about...

Would that be D.D.S.?:D

The BEST EQUIPPED D.D.S., that is...

[DecoJuicer]

Originally posted by corkybstewart
You must have made a bunch of it. Ours only lasted through a second day. Right now I'm warming up a small pot of gumbo for lunch.

The first time that I made it, I made a double batch of hot and a single batch of mild. When I made it again last week, I made another double batch of hot. Then I freeze it in single size servings. I keep a couple of thawed containers in the fridge and rotate the frozen ones in.

[corkybstewart]

That's good thinking. I may have to try it. We make a couple of dozen green chile burritos to keep in the freezer every month or so. They're great to grab on my way to work and zap in the icrowave. When I worked in the field I'ld put 4 or 5 in the cooler and just eat burritos for a couple of days. I'm going to do that with the chile, it'll be just as handy.

[DecoJuicer]

The disposable Gladware stuff is great for that purpose.

[steveh]

Originally posted by Seymour
The BEST EQUIPPED D.D.S., that is...

"Well, it's never happened to me before..."

S.

[steveh]

Originally posted by Vienna Lager
'Poon-chaks'

Poon-chaks? Really? En'na hey.

S.