Let's Stay In

If the idea of entertaining makes you feel faint, but quality time with your loved ones seems to be ever in short supply, one great meal can make a difference. Ashley Rodriguez has built a career and a life of sharing food: in restaurants, in her home, and in her cooking classes. She credits regular sit-down meals with bringing the joy and closeness to her relationships with neighbors, family, and friends, and wants to demystify the shared table for other families.

Let's Stay In evokes coziness, closeness, and the building blocks of relationship-building; in a similar way, Ashley's first book, Date Night In, prioritized a couple's quality time together with regular at-home date nights, giving readers a night to cherish each other at a table for two. Her second book extends the table to accommodate everyone at doable, delicious dinners you can serve year-round. Imagine meals suitable for any time of day, and any kind of crowd:

Breakfasts of Red Lentil and Chickpea Stew with Poached Eggs, Breakfast BLTs, and Spiced Raisin Scones Lunches of Zucchini, Gruyere & Basil Quesadillas, Ricotta, Speck and Plum Salsa Tartine, and Ivy's Split Pea Soup Table-groaning dinners of Steak Tacos with Radish and Pickled Onions, Oven Baked Risotto with Squash and Rosemary Candied Walnuts, Chicken and Herb Lettuce Wraps with Crispy Ginger and Peanuts, and Grilled Leg of Lamb with Green Sauce Sweets and drinks like Blood Orange Poppy Seed Upside Down Cake, Guava Coconut Punch, The Easiest Pear Tart, and Cardamom Cream SodaAshley is a natural teacher, and the recipes flow off the page as effortlessly as the conversation at a great meal. She practices what she preaches, too, making time to bring her busy family and loved ones together for meals as often as possible. Staying in can become an easy habit to adapt, helping to center each person at an inviting table.