You're Invited to my Birthday!
This post was taken from Cultivating the Beautiful Life, my Substack newsletter. Subscribe here.
Hi friend,
I celebrated turning 39 last week — finger foods, a good Negroni, and the company of my favorite people seemed to be the perfect way to do so. I wanted to invite you to come along to the celebration. In our home, birthdays never tend to be grand parties, but rather are intimate, delightful affairs. Considering my birthday this year was tucked into perhaps our busiest week of the entire school calendar, it’s a small miracle we were able to make anything happen at all!
You’re invited to my birthday… join me for the day as I prepare the house, table, and food for our celebration right here.
My present arrived a few days after this supper in the form of a wild raven. For years, I’ve attempted to befriend the ravens that fly wild and free over our property. I shout to them, leave them trinkets, and call back to them in the sky. I would joke of having one as a pet, one that would follow me around and let me pet its rich, dark feathers.
I’ll share more about him soon, but suffice it to say, what a wonderful birthday gift to see such a creature up close. He gets along fabulously with the children, cats, dogs, and sheep — and for now, he seems content to be a part of our homestead.
He’s free to go — to fly away at will. But he hasn’t yet, choosing instead to hop around from here to there in the gardens, eating dead bugs and mice and creepin’ up on me while I quietly weed the rose patches.
A great birthday indeed! The berry gelato certainly didn’t hurt either.
In the video, you’ll see that I made one of my very favorites, Shrimp Po’Boys, for my birthday dinner. Traditionally a full sandwich, I’ve made a bite-size version for the birthday supper. In case you need something spicy, savory, and absolutely delicious to enjoy this coming weekend…
Shrimp Po’Boy
For the shrimp:
Tallow or lard, for frying
1 pound wild-caught shrimp, peeled and deveined
1 cup flour
1 cup cornmeal
1 tablespoon Cajun seasoning
1 ½ cups milk
1 tablespoon hot sauce
For the sauce:
½ cup crème frâiche
2 tablespoons hot sauce
3 tablespoons dill relish
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
Cajun seasoning, to taste
Salt and pepper, to taste
For serving:
1 baguette, cut into ¼” slices and toasted
Cherry tomatoes, halved
Slivered red onion
Chives
Lemon wedges
Instructions:
In a bowl, combine the flour and cornmeal. Whisk to combine. Set aside. In a second bowl, combine the Cajun seasoning, milk, and shrimp. Toss well to coat the shrimp completely in the milk.
Move the shrimp from the milk, shaking off any excess, into the flour and cornmeal mixture. Toss to coat completely. Transfer the breaded shrimp to a baking sheet and refrigerate for 15 minutes to set the breading.
While the shrimp is in the refrigerator, preheat the tallow or lard for frying. This can be done in a countertop deep fryer or Dutch oven, making sure there is at least 1” of tallow.
When the tallow has reached 375 degrees, remove the shrimp from the refrigerator and, working in batches, fry the shrimp for 3-4 minutes or until golden. Set the fried shrimp aside.
While the shrimp rest, combine all of the sauce ingredients in a bowl and stir well to combine. Season to taste with salt and pepper, as needed.
To assemble, put a tablespoon of the sauce on each baguette slice, along with 1 shrimp. Add a half of a cherry tomato, red onion sliver, and chive to each baguette slice. Serve with lemon wedges.
Have a delicious and beautiful weekend, my friend.
PS: April 2026 Che Vita Getaway trips are opening up next week! If you’d like to share a spectacular week in the heart of Italy together, you can be the first to learn more here.
