A birthday meal, entirely from Substack
A photo diary, and the future of Cooking the Stacks
Hello and welcome back to Cooking the Stacks. I am so glad you are here to join me for some experimental home cooking!
I hope you enjoy this post. And if you like what you read? Please do subscribe, share or like. Thank you ❤️
A short and sweet one this week. A photo diary of a birthday meal (because it was my birthday this weekend… I might have mentioned that once or twice). A birthday meal cooked entirely from Substack recipes, with tips and recipe recommendations.
The Menu
Appetiser:
’s Devilled Eggs
Fresh and spicy, featuring my husband’s first ever attempt at piping, awww.
Starter:
’s Prawn Croquettes, with confit garlic aioliWonderfully comforting, and the kids loved these too. Check out my hubby and son with their croquette production line!
Main Course:
’ Quesabirria Tacos
These are filthy!!
Slow roasted beef with ancho chillies (I left mine bubbling away for six hours), corn tortillas dipped in the remaining broth before being filled with the shredded beef, smoky cheese and fried until the cheese is melty. And then, dipped back in the broth before eating! Like the sexier, Mexican cousin of a French Dip Sandwich.
Interestingly, Betty tells us in her post that these are eaten to enjoy Cinco de Mayo - which celebrates beating the French in a heroic battle!
Dessert:
My Macaron Tower
Ok, ok. I baked something from my own stack. Click here for the latest in my macaron quest.
It wasn't just my birthday you see. It was also my mum and sisters. And my blackcurrant macarons are their favourite. So, here's an ombre tower, filled with sharp, zingy blackcurrant conserve.
Drinks:
and Robin Bergdoll’s French Gimlet.Due to time zone differences, I was unable to join Rebecca and Robin's Cocktail 101. But had to give this lovely, fresh cocktail a go! And of course, I shook my age!
Nozu Margaritas, adapted from
’ Yuzu Margaritas.We couldn't find any yuzu, so replaced it with fresh orange juice and a squeeze of lime. (Hence, NOzu). Delicious and punchy!
Reflections, and the future of Cooking the Stacks
A birthday is always a time of reflection isn’t it. Do you do the same? A time to consider what you are enjoying in your life, and maybe, what needs tweaking.
Three years ago, I left my job in press for two reasons. To spend time with my young children, and take my patisserie course. I confess, I wasn’t sure what lay beyond that. I’ve toyed with many ideas since. I’ve trained and worked as a cake decorator, started to set up my own little home bakery, written a lot on Substack, I’ve even taught Baby Sign Language! And of course, focused on my beautiful and thriving children.
A little confession. This fun, creative project on Substack, to keep up my writing, continue to improve my patisserie and photography skills has… taken over. And started to feel like my full time job.
I am a thorough person - it’s an introverted tendency. I cannot whip off a quick post. I research, and research. I proof read and edit, proof read and edit, and proof read some more. I test recipes and check measurements over and over. I spend a long time creating a composition, taking and choosing the best possible photography shot (to my current amateur photographer abilities).
When I first started writing on Substack, I told myself I would take it slow. Keep it sustainable, and in keeping with the rest of my life. Do less, and do it well. Unfortunately, my ideas, excitement and ambition has ran away with me.
Other areas of my life are suffering. I weigh more than I ever have, my house is a shambles and my home bakery website remains unfinished.
There is so much to love about Substack. Its gorgeous community, inspiration, and creativity. I have learnt so many wonderful things, and spoken to so many wonderful people! I also have a couple of collabs coming up, which I’m very excited about. But I have decided to slow down.
Cooking the Stacks will now be a monthly publication, and will follow more of a diary format. Think of it like a monthly mag.
I will follow a stack over the course of a month, rather than a week, to give a more thorough deep dive into a stack, with better tips, recommendations and photography. And also means, if I’m baking from one, I won’t be eating a dessert every day!
Other posts may pop up, I’m currently working on a 5 tips piece I’m excited by. But a stack a month will be the base format.
I’m sure this is going to hurt my ‘growth.’ That I may initially lose subscribers. To be honest, that’s ok. That’s not what success looks like to me. I would rather create something of quality, that I’m proud of, and crucially, fits with the life I want to lead.
This all may be the more rebellious introverted streak in me, who has never been one to fit in with a crowd.
Or you know what, maybe it’s a sign to you too, dear reader, to not put so much pressure on yourself. To not feel you have to keep creating for the sake of an algorithm who keeps demanding more and more content from you.
Go outside, look at the trees.
Cycle in the rain.
Read Books, not screens.
Lots of love to you all. xx
I love everything about this post and champion your effort to create a more manageable work schedule. All my life I have followed a pattern of taking on too much and then scaling back.. It's a pattern on repeat for me and probably anyone else whose brain has a tendency towards new ideas and interests. It's so important to remember that we are in the driver's seat, fully in control of what we are building and how we are building it. Thank you for your honest reflection and for being an example of self advocacy.
Birthdays are always a good time for reflection, aren’t they? Shell, you have shared so much wisdom in this post for all of us to think about when it comes to creative sustainability. You are so talented, my friend and I am happy to read your work regardless of how often you post! I’m glad that you enjoyed your birthday weekend with your family. And I am chuffed that you made tacos and margaritas from my newsletters! 🥰 Sending transatlantic hugs! 🤗 ✈️