
The cookbooks bringing us joy and changing our lives in the kitchen this spring
Spring's parade of cookbooks are bringing a lot of joy into our kitchens. We read, cooked and baked our way through dozens of them, finding respite in some newfound culinary wisdom. Ace L.A. baker Nicole Rucker of Fat + Flour gave us recipes from her new book for London Fog brownies and her signature vegan lemon lavender cookies, using simplified methods that turned her baking world around. Ari Kolender, the chef whose East Hollywood raw bar Found Oyster won us over with pristine seafood and clam shack charm, wrote 'How to Cook the Finest Things in the Sea' and helped us feel comfortable cooking all kinds of fish and shellfish. And along with chefs and other food lovers, we explored our own lived-in libraries, highlighting the cookbooks that have meant the most to us, the ones we most cherish, each for our own reasons. Here's what we're dog-earing right now.
THE RECIPES
THE RECIPES
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
10-06-2025
- Yahoo
'Weird Al' Yankovic Reveals the Huge Singer Who Would 'Never' Approve a Musical Parody
While stopping by The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon on June 9, "Weird Al" Yankovic revealed that the one singer who would "never" approve a parody — Prince He said that he even pitched the late singer a parody of his song "1999," and the "Purple Rain" singer was so uninterested that he didn't even reply Yankovic noted that Prince was seemingly a fan of his music though, particularly his parody of Michael Jackson's song "Bad""Weird Al" Yankovic has performed parodies of hits from the likes of Michael Jackson, Elton John and Madonna, but there is one artist who turned him down. During a Monday, June 9 appearance on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, the 65-year-old musician revealed that he had tried to get Prince to approve several parodies, but was never successful. He explained that the "Purple Rain" hitmaker "is like the one guy that was never into it." "He's got a good sense of humor," Yankovic added, saying that he'd "heard a bootleg recording of him in the studio talking to some friends" about Yankovic's late-'80s parody of Jackson's song "Bad," which he titled "Fat." In the clip, Prince reportedly said that the song and its accompanying video were "really funny." "But when it came to parodying one of his songs, not so much. I had like a half a dozen ideas that I pitched him, and none of them got accepted," Yankovic recalled. There was one he was particularly excited about — a comical take on Prince's song "1999," which he wanted to title "$19.99." It was inspired by the idea of late-night infomercials, but Prince was not interested. He didn't even respond to the offer. Prince died at the age of 57 in 2016. However, Yankovic won't even attempt to spoof him at this point. "I try to respect the wishes of the artists," he said. "And he still made... He made his wishes very, very clear while he was with us." Never miss a story — sign up for to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. Yankovic might not have had luck with Prince, but he previously spoke very highly of Jackson, who he told Rolling Stone was very receptive to his ideas and had "always been very supportive." In fact, the "Smooth Criminal" performer enjoyed the parodies so much that he allowed Yankovic to record the music video for "Fat" on a subway set. "The first time I met him in person was long after I had gotten permission to do 'Eat It' back in 1984. There's a contract somewhere that has his signature next to mine, proving that we are the co-writers of 'Eat It,' which is surrealistic in and of itself," Yankovic recalled. He continued: "The first time I actually ran into him was backstage at one of his concerts, this was maybe four years later, when Even Worse came out with my second parody, 'Fat.' I went backstage, and he was seeing a lot of people, but I brought along a gold record of Even Worse to present to him, and he was very gracious and thanked me for it and said some nice things." Yankovic revealed one song that Jackson "wasn't quite so into" having him cover — "Black or White." "He thought 'Black or White' was more of a message song, and he didn't feel as comfortable with a parody of that one, which I completely understood," he said, adding: "In a way, he did me a huge favor, because I was already getting pegged as the guy who did Michael Jackson parodies, and because he wasn't so into it, I decided to go with Nirvana, which wound up revitalizing my career." Read the original article on People
Yahoo
10-06-2025
- Yahoo
'Weird Al' Yankovic Reveals the Huge Singer Who Would 'Never' Approve a Musical Parody
While stopping by The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon on June 9, "Weird Al" Yankovic revealed that the one singer who would "never" approve a parody — Prince He said that he even pitched the late singer a parody of his song "1999," and the "Purple Rain" singer was so uninterested that he didn't even reply Yankovic noted that Prince was seemingly a fan of his music though, particularly his parody of Michael Jackson's song "Bad""Weird Al" Yankovic has performed parodies of hits from the likes of Michael Jackson, Elton John and Madonna, but there is one artist who turned him down. During a Monday, June 9 appearance on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, the 65-year-old musician revealed that he had tried to get Prince to approve several parodies, but was never successful. He explained that the "Purple Rain" hitmaker "is like the one guy that was never into it." "He's got a good sense of humor," Yankovic added, saying that he'd "heard a bootleg recording of him in the studio talking to some friends" about Yankovic's late-'80s parody of Jackson's song "Bad," which he titled "Fat." In the clip, Prince reportedly said that the song and its accompanying video were "really funny." "But when it came to parodying one of his songs, not so much. I had like a half a dozen ideas that I pitched him, and none of them got accepted," Yankovic recalled. There was one he was particularly excited about — a comical take on Prince's song "1999," which he wanted to title "$19.99." It was inspired by the idea of late-night infomercials, but Prince was not interested. He didn't even respond to the offer. Prince died at the age of 57 in 2016. However, Yankovic won't even attempt to spoof him at this point. "I try to respect the wishes of the artists," he said. "And he still made... He made his wishes very, very clear while he was with us." Never miss a story — sign up for to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. Yankovic might not have had luck with Prince, but he previously spoke very highly of Jackson, who he told Rolling Stone was very receptive to his ideas and had "always been very supportive." In fact, the "Smooth Criminal" performer enjoyed the parodies so much that he allowed Yankovic to record the music video for "Fat" on a subway set. "The first time I met him in person was long after I had gotten permission to do 'Eat It' back in 1984. There's a contract somewhere that has his signature next to mine, proving that we are the co-writers of 'Eat It,' which is surrealistic in and of itself," Yankovic recalled. He continued: "The first time I actually ran into him was backstage at one of his concerts, this was maybe four years later, when Even Worse came out with my second parody, 'Fat.' I went backstage, and he was seeing a lot of people, but I brought along a gold record of Even Worse to present to him, and he was very gracious and thanked me for it and said some nice things." Yankovic revealed one song that Jackson "wasn't quite so into" having him cover — "Black or White." "He thought 'Black or White' was more of a message song, and he didn't feel as comfortable with a parody of that one, which I completely understood," he said, adding: "In a way, he did me a huge favor, because I was already getting pegged as the guy who did Michael Jackson parodies, and because he wasn't so into it, I decided to go with Nirvana, which wound up revitalizing my career." Read the original article on People


Eater
04-06-2025
- Eater
New York's Acclaimed Superiority Burger Is Coming to LA for One Day Only
One of New York's buzziest restaurants, Superiority Burger, is headed to Los Angeles for a one-day-only pop-up at Chi Spacca in Hancock Park on Sunday, June 8. Founded by Brooks Headley in 2023, Superiority Burger grew a cult following for its inventive lacto-ovo-vegetarian menu and a burger that Cate Blanchett once referred to as 'the thinking man's burger.' The walk-in-only pop-up will run from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., but expect a line well before doors open. Although a full menu hasn't been announced yet, the Instagram flyer says that lunch-goers should expect Superiority Burger classics and farmers market specials. Pizza and aperitivo in Echo Park Echo Park's former wine bar Tilda is flipping into Bar Bacetti. The sister bar to Italian restaurant Bacetti will serve aperitivi and pizza just in time for summer. An opening date for the bar hasn't been announced yet, but the team is targeting sometime in June. Is the best steak in America in Los Angeles? Jeff Gordinier pens a piece for Esquire about Dunsmoor's 32-ounce steak, which comes in at $149. The story dives into the steak's sourcing from Black Angus cattle in Iowa, and traces how it rose from $89 (which lost the restaurant money), to its current price point. Currently, the steak, crusted in hand-ground spices, is the largest revenue stream at the restaurant. Sunday dinner at La Dolce Vita Beverly Hills restaurant La Dolce Vita is launching a new Sunday-only dinner menu on June 8. Expect dishes like fennel risotto arancini and linguine ai frutti di mare with mussels, lasagna, and cheesecake. Book a table on Resy. Ari Kolender at Bar Le Cote Ari Kolender, the chef behind Found Oyster and Queen Street, is headed to Bar Le Cote in Los Olivos for a stop on his book tour and a collaborative dinner. On June 25, Kolender and Bar Le Cote chef Brad Matthews will cook a seafood-focused dinner together. Signed copies of Kolender's new cookbook, How to Cook the Finest Things in the Sea , will also be available to buy. Kuya Lord turns three Kuya Lord is throwing a party for its third birthday on June 8. Head to Ggiata's Melrose Hills back patio starting at 1 p.m. for some of the city's best Filipino barbecue, as well as karaoke, cocktails, and more. Sign up for our newsletter.