Love Me Stone · Your welcome gift
Your Delicious
Night In
A good book. Something warm. An evening with room in it.
A little invitation from Love Me Stone
Something warm in the oven. Music you can feel in your shoulders. A book that makes you forget to check your phone.
I like an evening with room in it. Room to eat slowly, take the long way through a conversation, or get comfortable enough to read another chapter.
So here is a little plan for one of those nights. Come alone. Bring someone you like. Wear the sweater you always reach for.
There is no need to make an occasion of it before you let yourself enjoy it.
— Elizabeth
First, give the evening somewhere to land
Clear enough of the table for a plate. Put your phone somewhere you will have to stand up to reach it. Choose a lamp instead of the overhead light. Pour something you enjoy into a glass you like holding.
If you are making the roast, start in the afternoon. It needs several hours; this is a dinner for the days when you have time to let the oven work. If tonight arrived before you were ready, bread, cheese, and a bowl of soup can be very good company.
Something for your nightstand
Choose the mood you want to spend time in. One book is plenty.
When you want dangerous devotion
Deviant Hearts — Jagger Cole
For a night when you want dark romance, sexual tension, and a morally grey man who makes bedtime negotiable. This is the five-star pick from my reviews.
When you want desire with teeth
The Cannibal — I.V. Ophelia
For the reader drawn to poisonous women and dangerous devotion. This is the finale to the Poisoner trilogy; begin with the earlier books if the series is new to you.
When you want a beautiful place with something wrong beneath it
That Which Feeds Us — Keala Kendall
A Hawaiian Gothic with a missing sister, an isolated resort, and a dark past. Choose this when you would rather follow a mystery into the night.
These picks explore dark themes. Check the authors’ or publishers’ content notes before choosing your evening companion.
Something worth putting in the oven
A Pot Roast Worth Staying In For
Garlic, rosemary, tender carrots, buttery potatoes, and beef that gives way beneath a fork. Serve it in deep bowls, with bread close enough to reach.
Serves: 6 · Prep: about 25 minutes · Cooking: about 3½–4½ hours, including browning
You’ll need: a heavy 6–7-quart Dutch oven with an oven-safe lid.
Ingredients
- 3–4 pounds boneless beef chuck roast
- 1½ teaspoons fine sea salt, plus more to taste
- 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 large yellow onions, cut into thick wedges
- 5 garlic cloves, smashed
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1 cup dry red wine, or additional beef broth
- 2 cups low-sodium beef broth, plus more as needed
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 2 sprigs fresh rosemary
- 4 sprigs fresh thyme
- 2 bay leaves
- 1½ pounds baby Yukon Gold potatoes, halved if large
- 5 large carrots, cut into roughly 2-inch pieces
- Chopped fresh parsley, optional, for serving
- Crusty bread, butter, and a green salad for the table
Make something good
- Heat the oven to 325°F. Pat the roast dry and season with the salt and pepper.
- Brown the beef. Heat the oil in the Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Sear the roast for 4–5 minutes on each broad side, then briefly brown the edges. Transfer to a plate.
- Build the sauce. Reduce the heat to medium. Cook the onions for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the garlic and tomato paste; stir for another minute.
- Scrape up the good bits. Pour in the wine or extra cup of broth. Scrape the browned bits from the bottom and simmer for 2–3 minutes. Add the remaining broth, Worcestershire sauce, rosemary, thyme, and bay leaves.
- Let the oven take over. Return the beef and its juices to the pot. The liquid should come one-third to halfway up the meat; add broth if needed. Bring to a gentle simmer, cover tightly, and put in the oven for 2½ hours.
- Add the vegetables. Nestle the potatoes and carrots around the roast. Add a splash of broth if the pot looks dry. Cover and cook for another 1–1½ hours, until the vegetables are tender and the beef pulls apart easily. Check sooner for a smaller roast. If the beef resists, give it more time, checking every 20–30 minutes. Lift the vegetables out if they finish first.
- Finish and serve. Transfer the beef and vegetables to a platter and loosely cover. Remove the herb stems and bay leaves; skim excess fat from the liquid. For a stronger sauce, simmer it uncovered on the stove for 5–10 minutes. Taste before adding salt. Pull the beef into generous pieces and spoon the sauce over everything.
For thicker gravy, mix 1 tablespoon cornstarch with 1 tablespoon cold water. Whisk into the simmering cooking liquid and cook for 2–3 minutes.
There is enough for company, or for tomorrow. You can sit down now.
Read the story behind the recipe: Come Over. I’m Making Something.
Something to come home to
A few minutes with yourself
Before you settle into your book, take a warm shower with gentle light and enough visibility to move comfortably. Leave the phone outside. Let the water reach your shoulders. Notice its warmth without turning the moment into a list of things you need to change.
Dry off slowly. Put on something that feels good against your skin. If you like, smooth a little lotion over your arms and legs, paying attention to the feeling beneath your hands.
Then ask yourself: What would feel good to give myself tonight?
Rest is an answer. So is company. So is deciding you have spent enough of the day being available.
Read The Body in the Dark: A Ritual of Returning to Yourself
Something to put on
A small soundtrack for staying awhile
Search these titles in your music app and play them in this order. Repeat the sequence if dinner is taking its time.
- Come Away With Me — Norah Jones. While you clear the table and pour a glass.
- By Your Side — Sade. While dinner settles and the conversation wanders.
- Like Real People Do — Hozier. When you want to stay a little longer.
Turn the music down or off when you open your book. Let the story have the room.
Before the evening ends
Leave yourself one sentence, on paper or in your phone:
Tonight, I wanted more of ______.
It might be quiet. It might be laughter at the kitchen counter. It might be another chapter and someone who knows when to leave you to it.
I would love to hear what belongs in your version of a delicious night in. Reply to the email that brought you here and tell me: the book, the food, or the company?
I’m glad you’re here.
Elizabeth