It is Friday, I have homemade chocolate filled beignets with chocolate hazelnut dipping sauce and it is someone’s birthday! Not just anyone’s birthday. Nope, it is my mom’s.
Yeah, the women with a crazy chocolate addiction and a crazy desire to have not one, not two, not three, but seven kids. Yes, seven. Then she goes and invites all these weird strays in, like all the time. She can’t help it. She has a heart of gold. As my dad say “that Jenny she is just so nice”. Seriously, though my mom is pretty much the most amazing person. I do not know what we would do without her. She has inspired many (many, many) of my sweet treats. And these chocolate beignets are no exception.
What feels like just yesterday, mom and I were shopping at an outdoor mall, Crocker Park in Westlake, Ohio. This was a rare occasion where it was just mom and I. This was before Asher was born and I was still her only little girl, the rest being boys. I can’t remember exactly why we were there, but I remember one thing for sure. The Beignets. I have no idea what made us stroll up to this cute little cart and order these pastries. It was very rare that we ever bought food while we were out, that was normally saved for special occasions only. But I guess we were just having fun. Good old, cheesy mother daughter time. Neither mom nor I knew what beignets were. This was before I hade begun to explore my “culinary abilities” and the families diet was chicken with rice, pasta and some more chicken and rice.
I remember it so clearly. We were sitting at this round table that seats two, with lights strung above us. You kind of felt like you could be in Paris at that moment, it was cozy. We were plotting on how to move the whole family, all nine of us out to Colorado. My mom and I were the driving forces on this move and we were determined! However, we seemed to be able to take a break from our mischievous plotting to inhale the doughy, sugary things that they called beignets. I can vividly remember my mom’s face, it was pure happiness and there was not even any chocolate inside those beignets.
So when I was thinking about her birthday the other day, I remembered this day. Not sure why, but I did. I think it’s probably because it is such a happy memory of mine. I was young, care free, and enjoying the day with mom. Oh, and eating beignets! The perfect day. I of course had to step them up a notch and add chocolate…….in the middle and on top. And not just any chocolate. The filing is chocolate hazelnut spread and the sauce is a chocolate hazelnut sauce. I mean it is her birthday, I can’t disappoint. Dare I say better than cake?
I mean……Chocolate Beignets! I think…YES!
