May 1, 2026 - Friday - Today we were back in the desert to see the latest exhibit at the La Quinta Museum called "Abuelita’s Kitchen: Mexican Food Stories." The museum's program states "Exploring the themes of identity, place, and food culture, Abuelita’s Kitchen features the stories of ten grandmothers who have cooked, preserved, and passed on Mexican food culture while creating communities and cultures that are unique to Southern California."
It's a very sweet exhibit. You can read about each grandmother, some of the tools she uses and see their colorful aprons.
Judy loves mole, but it's a lot of work. Merced's recipe for mole is below.
Hats off for these wonderful ladies!
After the museum we had lunch in nearby Indio at the Cafe at Shields.
We both started out with a "Stuffed Date" which is a plump Medjool date stuffed with jalapeño, bleu cheese and proscuitto, wrapped in bacon and finished off with a shallot demi-glace and a balsamic reduction. These are wonderful.
Then I had their "Walleye Fish Tacos" which are three fish tacos lightly breaded on corn tortillas, lime, cabbage and chipotle aioli. It's served with rice and beans.
Judy had their "Curry Chicken Salad." It's shredded chicken breast in yellow curry, whole grain mustard house sauce, papaya, celery, carrots and sliced and toasted almonds on a field of mixed greens with balsamic vinaigrette. It's served with slices of banana bread.
Everything was great today, a memorable adventure.