Paczki (pronounced poonch-key or punch-key depending on where you live) is a Polish doughnut made with potatoes traditionally made around 'Fat Tuesday' which is the kick off for Mardi Gras. It is also the day before Ash Wednesday, which is the start of Lent (40 days before Easter)in the Catholic church. At our local Polish Catholic church, the weekend before Fat Tuesday, the polish ladies of the church(and a few males who are roped into it) have a Paczki sale. The following are photos from my weekend adventure.....

Breakfast at the Northside(across from the church) at 4:00am.


5:00am.....the mixing starts.....



Pouring the dough out of the mixer for kneading.

Dough delivery service.

Della the Dough Queen......this is the boiler room where all the dough is raised.

The rolling and cutting of the Paczki.

The cut Paczki being raised.

Sue and Jill...happy little fryers.....

Frying paczki.

Dutiful Dough Delivery Girls.

Lunch Break! Yummm.....

Miles of cooked paczki.



Rolling the paczki in sugar.....

Paczki packed up and ready to go!

So, 8,000 paczki (nope, not an exageration) and 7 hours later, I headed home. And after two days and three showers, I can still smell paczki in my hair.

Happy Mardi Gras!