Beignets, Churros and Krispy Kreme

Mom always told me that a good breakfast was important. That meant she would load me up on oatmeal (which I still cannot eat), Cheerios or Wheaties, depending on her mood and the weather. Bacon and eggs with pancakes was a Sunday thing that may or may not have featured cornbread as a substitute for the flapjacks. As a result, I still eat breakfast most days though I try to vary what I ingest. Whole grain cereals have replaced much of it though I do still eat Coco-Wheats when it's cold out, and I need that steaming bowl to follow me throughout the day. Generally, I try to eat a bit more protein than carbohydrates for breakfast though that isn't easy. There are times, however, that all of that "little engines need good fuel" stuff just goes out the window, and I give my health-conscious conscience a little vacay. Saturday was one such day.
It wasn't Paris; it was the west side of Green Bay, and it wasn't a sidewalk cafe on the banks of a flowing river teeming with traffic. It WAS on the sidewalk, and there WAS traffic (including a woman in a big ol' Lincoln backing into another car in an attempt to make a parking space where there wasn't one). Breakfast, though, was special.
I doubt I'd ever eaten a beignet, and I probably wouldn't have been able to spell it if the word had not been written on a sign. My sweetie knew about them and suggested a casual latte/beignet sojourn as a change. Up for anything involving most food, I was delighted to find six somewhat doughy, sugar-encrusted balls on a plate...and they were warm. Add to that my cafe au lait, and I felt quite continental as we sat alone at a sidewalk table (after the waitress removed the chain keeping the tables and chairs in place). It was delightful, but it wasn't churros in Mexico.
On a trip to San Miguel de Allende, Mexico, I discovered the leisurely pursuit of churros and hot chocolate in the morning. Basically a long, stick-like pastry, churros are rolled in cinnamon and sugar and presented warm with a hot chocolate that Nestle would kill to patent. Casual foot traffic made it interesting, and knowing that breakfast was not to be rushed made it an immensely pleasurable way to begin most of our days in Mexico.
For the brakfast glutton in me, there is Krispy Kreme. We no longer have a store in Green Bay, and it's probably a good thing. At several hundred calories apiece, a dozen would make me balloon up like the Stay-Puft guy...and I could (and have) take down a dozen in one sitting. One of the highlights of visiting relatives in Colorado, though, is the proximity to Krispy Kreme...walking distance means I can rationalize my engorgement on dough.
Until then, though, it's back to whole grain Cheerios and memories of tastier times.