Inca Kola and Picarones (Pumpkin and Sweet Potato Doughnuts)

I had to fight off temptation-HARD- this past weekend while visiting my family in NY! I was able to prove to myself just how dedicated I am to the BTB45! I'm not saying I've been a saint--I mean anyone can look at my evernote log and note my tequila cheats! (Pineapple infused tequila is my downfall!) I digress...back to the yumminess at hand...my parents and I went out to eat one evening at a local Peruvian eatery in NJ--they serve some of the best anticuchos, choncholi, pollo a la brasa, etc...around those parts! Before Paleo, my meal would consist of a any of the aforementioned items, with fries, Inca cola (best soda ever!) and for dessert, my own plate of picarones! Picarones are ADDICTIVE! They are my crack! They are this fried doughy goodness with a spicy sweet flavor that is dipped in a uber sweet syrup! OMG!! The taste is just something that is indescribable! Eating these always brought back childhood memories-especially since my Grandmother used to make these suckers, by hand, at family gatherings. My grandmother passed away a few years ago, but I was fortunate enough to learn her cooking secrets and have made these for my family--tastes just the way my abuelita (grandmother) used to make them! After finishing my plate of organ meat and salad, my parents decided to share a plate of picarones =(...oh how I almost crossed the darkside. But I stood strong and rejected my mother (multiple times) as she almost forced fed me this gluten bomba! It was truly difficult--you don't know how persuasive my mother can be. Needless to say, my parents enjoyed eating their picarones as I sat their drinking my water. Love you Mom&Dad ;)! (in one of the pics, you can see my father poking fun as he was about to devour his first picarone!)