Holiday in Palm Springs!

Hello Heavy Metal Foodie! I hope your holidays were full of great food and great fun! I, for one, cooked a 26 pound free range turkey (which I won’t ever be doing again, unless it’s for 15 people), and way too many sides. I think we had something like 4 vegetable sides – my mom made Broccoli Cheese Casserole, I tried a new Brussels Sprouts / Butternut Squash side that was out of this world, made a classic green bean casserole, and an awesome blueberry-centric salad! I clearly went over-board, but this was the first time my Mom and Bro were under my roof for Thanksgiving dinner. It called for a major celebration!

By the time Friday rolled around, my family and I were ready to roll out of the house and have some fun, so we decided to go to Palm Springs. I haven’t visited that place nearly enough, and it’s only about an hour from the house! Angel and I had been to this taco place once before in The Saguaro Hotel called El Jefe. Iron Chef Jose Garces owns it, so as lovers of the Food Network, we had to seek it out. It rocked the first time, so we had to go back to let Bro & Mom in on the goodness! El Jefe has the most outstanding tacos. They don’t skimp on the meat, and are crowned with some rock-star toppings. Add in my favorite people, my Mama, Brother, and the Hubbs, and you have untouchable recipe for a heavenly day!

Isn’t she absolutely gorgeous? I adore this woman! She may be modest about her cooking, but she’s the #1 reason I’ve grown to love cooking so much. I love the idea of preparing a meal for the ones I love, and connecting with each other while sitting at the dinner table. That is what life is about! I live for moments like this.

We planned to snack, because date shakes were going to be our dessert! We shared two different taco plates, one Cabrito, and the other, Carnitas.

Here you see the delightful Cabrito – goat meat, accompanied with black beans, a delightful orange/habanero salsa, and goat crema. Add in some cilantro for some bright, fresh flavors, and you’ve got yourself some awesomeness! Did I mention that they make their corn tortillas in-house? You can totally tell, and they’re effing delicious!

And here – the glorious Carnitas tacos! Pork with a smoky black bean base are topped with a pineapple/habanero salsa this time, and finished with the most thinly sliced radishes on earth.

I got to sit next to this awesome, thoughtful, witty guy (my bro) during our stay at El Jefe. We drank some good brews at this place too. They had some craft offerings: Stone Pale Ale, and Ballast Point Sculpin. I love me some Negro Modelo too, which was also on draft. Charred pineapple margaritas are also on the menu, among other flavors, and an extensive tequila selection. They’re bangin’!

After our excursion, we came home, and watched funny videos involving goats:

and this one really got us laughing:

A relaxing day filled with laughter was had by all on this day after Thanksgiving, and that’s just how I like it! What exciting adventures did you have this holiday?

Gobble gobble,