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Los Angeles Times
5 hours ago
- Los Angeles Times
What can I bring? These recipes are the answer
What can I bring? It's the first question we ask after an invitation to a gathering. And it's the question author Casey Elsass devoted an entire cookbook to answering. 'It's a very loaded question,' says Elsass, author of the new cookbook 'What Can I Bring?: Recipes to Help You Live Your Guest Life.' 'Bringing something is not a competition, but it also kind of is. And we all want to bring the thing that everybody is talking about at the party.' Elsass is a recipe developer, writer and consultant who has worked on nearly two dozen cookbooks. 'What Can I Bring?' reads like more of a self-help book with recipes than a traditional cookbook, written from Elsass' years of experience as an expert party guest and host. The book starts with a few ground rules that Elsass believes every guest should follow, regardless of the gathering. First, never expect space in your host's fridge or oven. 'They are already playing a game of culinary Tetris and you should show up with something room temp or ready to go,' he says. Second, bring everything you are going to need to serve your dish, including tongs, serving bowls and other odds and ends. And of course, there are recipes, for everything from quick and easy starters, showstopping salads and mains to cocktails and dessert. He even has a section devoted to host gifts, for when the answer to the 'what can I bring' question is 'yourself.' Each recipe is categorized by the level of effort required ('in your sleep,' 'roll up your sleeves,' 'bragging rights'). And there are 'party tricks' for things like easy substitutions and instructions for how to transport and serve a dish at a party. While all of the recipes in the book are ideal for a gathering, they could just as easily slide into your weekly cooking repertoire. Below are three recipes from Elsass' book, plus a few more from the L.A. Times Cooking archives to make the next time you're a guest at a party. Eating out this week? Sign up for Tasting Notes to get our restaurant experts' insights and off-the-cuff takes on where they're dining right now. Since this salad requires so few ingredients, it's important that the tomatoes are excellent. Elsass asks that readers wait until peak tomato season (now!) to make it. The halloumi is tangier than mozzarella, and the edges crisp up. Flash-fried fresh oregano and toasted sesame seeds add another dimension of flavor and texture to finish the salad. Get the recipe. Cook time: 20 minutes. Serves 6. The salsa is named for the salt and vinegar chips Elsass serves with the dip. It's actually a bright and zesty tomatillo salsa with plenty of lime, garlic and cilantro. You could technically serve the salsa with tortilla chips, or another snack medium of your choosing. But Elsass insists that the salt and vinegar chips are nonnegotiable. The extra punch of salt and acidity is difficult to quit. Get the time: 5 minutes. Makes 3 1/2 cups of salsa. This is a cake you can make for any occasion throughout the year, and on repeat in the fall. The batter features plenty of diced apples, cinnamon and sour cream. Chopped walnuts and brown sugar create a crunchy topping. Get the time: 1 hour and 10 minutes, plus 1 hour of cooling time. Makes a 9-inch cake. Former cooking columnist Ben Mims described this cocktail as having the flavors of a milk punch, eggnog and Manhattan all in one. I's a recipe from Amy Koffsky, who was the beverage director at the now-closed Atrium restaurant in Los Feliz. Made with almond milk, whiskey and chocolate bitters, it feels festive enough for any occasion. Get the recipe. Cook time: 5 minutes. Makes 1 cocktail. Chef April Bloomfield adds a splash of Champagne vinegar to her deviled eggs and uses crème fraîche in place of mayonnaise. They're decadent but not heavy, and the perfect addition to any party spread. You can prep the eggs and filling ahead of time and fill them at the party right before serving. Get the recipe. Cook time: 1 hour. Makes 24 deviled eggs.
Los Angeles Times
a day ago
- Los Angeles Times
This book teaches you how to break into Hollywood
This week, we are chatting with Ada Tseng and Jon Healey about their new book, 'Breaking Into New Hollywood.' We also take a look at what our critics read, and visit a bookstore that has become a social beehive in Culver City. The entertainment industry is experiencing a massive transformation, as traditional jobs are vanishing and artificial intelligence increasingly upends the way media is created. Thankfully, former L.A. Times editors Ada Tseng and Jon Healey are here to help. The duo, with extensive experience covering show business, have written a new book for anyone who's ever dreamed of working in Hollywood. Tseng and Healey interviewed hundreds of insiders who work in front of and behind the camera to provide a thorough look at how to break in, and what it's like when you do find that dream job. I sat down with authors to discuss 'Breaking Into New Hollywood.' (Please note: The Times may earn a commission through links to whose fees support independent bookstores.) This is the most comprehensive how-to guide for Hollywood careers I've ever read. Where did the impetus for the book come from? Ada: The book started as a Hollywood careers series at the Los Angeles Times, when Jon and I were editors on a team that specialized in writing guides and explainers. As we were thinking about how to be useful to L.A. Times readers, I pitched a project to help people who were interested in getting a job in Hollywood. A lot of people come to L.A. starry-eyed with big dreams, but the film and TV industry can be pretty brutal. As journalists, we're Hollywood outsiders, but we had access to hundreds of professionals who were generous enough to share what they wished they knew when they were starting out. We see it like this: On behalf of the people who don't have connections in the industry, we cold-emailed people, asked for informational interviews, picked their brains, listened to stories of what they did to build a career — and did our best to consolidate their most practical pieces of advice into an actionable guide. Jon: A lot of folks I interviewed had similar origin stories in this respect: They knew that they wanted to work in the industry in some capacity, but they didn't know what exactly they could do. So it made sense to do a book for that sort of person — a guide that would show an array of possible career paths to people who didn't know what role they wanted to fill. I feel like 'How to Break into the Business' books in the past have tended to focus on positive outcomes rather than the struggle. Did you want to temper expectations, or at least make sure people think things through very thoroughly before jumping in? Ada: We just wanted to be honest. The glamorous fantasy of Hollywood is so intoxicating. But if you're going to work in the industry, you need to navigate the day-to-day reality of it. I don't think we were trying to encourage or discourage anyone. I'd hope that some people would read the chapters and think, 'This seems doable, and now I can make a plan,' while others would read it and think, 'If I'm honest with myself, I'm someone who needs more stability in my life.' Because it's not just a career choice. It's a lifestyle choice. Jon: Right, this was about expectation-setting and reality-checking. The very first interviews I did in this project were of Foley artists. An expert I interviewed said there were 40 to 50 established Foley practitioners in the U.S., and 100 to 200 folks trying to get into the field. That's a very tough nut to crack. Then there are the Hollywood unions, which present a catch-22 to anyone trying to join their ranks — they have to do a certain number of hours in jobs covered by union contracts, but union members get first crack at all those gigs. Your book also covers jobs above and below the line. I think many people don't even realize how many different career opportunities exist. Ada: There are two things we heard over and over again. People would say, 'It's incredibly important to understand what all the different departments do.' And they'd also say, 'So many people — even our own colleagues in the industry — don't understand what we do.' So we wanted to encourage newcomers to learn about all different types of jobs in Hollywood and how they work together. Jon: Talking about the emotional components is about setting expectations too. The vast majority of people who work in Hollywood, from A-list actors to entry-level grips, are freelancers. That's a tough life of highs and lows, and you have to prepare for that mentally as well as financially. People have to hustle for years to establish themselves, and that takes an enormous capacity for rejection. On top of that is the physical toll the work can extract, especially on the folks involved in setting up and tearing down sets. Part of the point of the book is to tell people with Hollywood dreams that they'll need to gird themselves emotionally and physically for the work. Mark Athatakis finds much to like in 'Ready for My Close-Up,' David M. Lubin's book about the classic 1950 film 'Sunset Boulevard.' 'Though the book has its shortcomings,' he writes, '[Lubin] rightly sees the movie as a kind of passkey into the history of the first half-century of Hollywood itself.' Robet Allen Papinchak weighs in on Phoebe Greenwood's Middle East satire 'Vulture,' finding it 'a darkly comic, searing satire grounded in historic politics.' Emma Sloley's novel 'The Island of Last Things' envisions a future where animal life, and then entire ecosystems, are wiped out, but Ilana Masad writes that Sloley also highlights 'the small moments of beauty, joy and care that emerge even during … horrible times.' And Paula L. Woods has a chat with master thriller novelist Karin Slaughter about her new book, 'We Are All Guilty Here,' and TV series. Four years after it opened its doors to the public, Village Well Books & Coffee has become a community locus in its Culver City neighborhood. Owner Jennifer Caspar has created a vibrant space with a full-service cafe, allowing her customers to linger for as long as they please while perusing Caspar's ample and well-curated selection of new books. I chatted with Caspar about her store and what's selling right now. Why did you open the store? I wanted a place where people can facilitate connections with others, because I think that's what people need. Everyone is so overwhelmed by their phones and technology, and we tend to take the easy path, which is to not get out and see people. What's selling right now? 'Atmosphere,' Taylor Jenkins Reid; 'Martyr,' Kaveh Akbar; 'The Emperor of Gladness,' Ocean Vuong; 'All Fours,' Miranda July. There's been a real increase in books about activism and the Middle East situation. We're launching an activism book club here, starting with 'Mutual Aid: Building Solidarity During This Crisis (and the Next)' by Dean Spade. It will be interesting to see who comes out for that. Why books now? Why not the Substack, social media, etc.? Books are an antidote to the constant distractions in our lives. People need to connect offline, and books give us a chance to settle down and focus. Studies show that what we learn from books stays with us longer. You can read a Kindle, and I do, but there is something about sitting down with words on paper. For me, it's great physical therapy for my emotional state. Village Well is located at 9900 Culver Blvd., Culver City.
New York Post
3 days ago
- New York Post
Angry residents of NY town want HBO to cough up money for fire on set of series staring Mark Ruffalo: ‘I lost everything'
They're still hot under the collar. Feelings in an upstate New York town are continuing to smolder after a massive, 2019 fire on the set of an HBO miniseries that starred Mark Ruffalo — which is still wreaking havoc on residents as the deep-pocketed network fails to make things right, according to a new report. The explosive blaze at a car dealership that served a film location for 'I Know This Much Is True' destroyed a village landmark in Ellenville, caused an estimated $15 million in damage, and exposed locals to potentially toxic chemicals, according to the L.A. Times. Advertisement 'It comes down to this: If you hurt people, you take care of them,' said lawyer Wayne Lonstein, who has sued HBO on behalf of two neighboring families. 4 Actor Mark Ruffalo went on to win an Emmy for his role in the miniseries. The devastating blaze put dozens of locals out of jobs and damaged the homes of two next-door neighbors with children, neither of whom had the means to move out, according to the report. Advertisement 'They came to do the movie and destroyed everything,' said Pablo Ferrada Arias, 46, whose mobile home was left warped and water-damaged from the fire and efforts to put it out. 'I lost too much here: I lost money, lost time with my daughter… I lost everything,' he said, adding his 7-year-old girl developed asthma and had to move out after the blaze. 4 The fire broke out at a car dealership on the set of the show in Ellenville. But despite a fire investigation that found equipment used by HBO caused the electrical fire, HBO still hasn't compensated some victims who lost property, according to the report. Advertisement In early 2019, HBO spiffed up the Midcentury Modern-style building that housed 613 Automotive Group to depict a 1990s-era car dealership with gleaming props, including Chevrolet Camaros and Corvettes, on loan from motorheads throughout the state. Just before 1 a.m. on May 9, 2019, after a long day of filming, a small fire broke out inside the dealership after the last of HBO's crew had left for the night. It quickly spread to a mechanics' shop in the back of the business, where 55-gallon drums of oil likely caused a giant explosion, officials said. 'Every window in the place just blew out. Then it became a hell show,' recalled George Budd, Ellenville's assistant fire chief, who was first on the scene. Advertisement Although nobody was injured, the inferno ripped though the 12,000 -square-foot structure, burned for 12 hours and resulted in an estimated $15 million in property damage. 4 The fire broke out at 613 Automotive Group in Ellenville. Ulster County fire investigators later wrote in a report that the electrical fire was ignited by HBO crew members' sound equipment batteries, which were left charging overnight in the dealership's showroom, according to the paper. The blaze has since sparked finger-pointing, lawsuits and local rage directed largely at HBO, which received a $24 million state tax credit for the 90 million production, according to the report. 'The amount of money made off this film compared to the relative cost of doing the right thing is virtually meaningless to a company the size of HBO,' former state Sen. Jen Metzger told the paper. 'People's lives are at stake and that's really all that matters.' A contaminated pile of burned car parts and other junk such as blown-out oil tanks also put nearby residents at risk, according to a February 2020 New York spill report. Storm runoff from the pile of fire debris, possibly laced with toxic chemicals, drained down a slope and into Rios' backyard, the state report noted, the LA Times reported. 'It's a very hard thing for a small community to have a trauma like that,' said Steven Kelley, Ellenville Regional Hospital chief executive. 'And there was this pile of rubble still sitting there for about a year — reminding us how bad [the fire] was.' Advertisement Others who lost cars and equipment in the fire said they have yet to be compensated. 4 Some residents of the upstate town have blamed HBO for the fire. REUTERS HBO has denied it was at fault for the fire, saying an ion battery used on set malfunctioned and citing 'the negligence…of a third party,' according to the LA Times. 'HBO has been producing shows on location all around the globe for decades, always with the utmost care and respect for the local environment and community,' the company said in a statement. 'It was no different for this series. The fire was an unforeseen accident, and it took time to investigate it thoroughly.' Advertisement The company reportedly also shifted cleanup responsibility of the left-behind pile of fire debris to the owner of the car dealership. Earlier this year, HBO and its insurance companies settled claims with some parties involved, including the owner of 613 Automotive Group. In its statement, HBO also noted that the only remaining lawsuit is the one brought by the two neighboring families. Advertisement Ruffalo, meanwhile, went on to win an Emmy for his portrayal of twin brothers in the drama, which is based on Wally Lamb's 1998. Reps for Ruffalo and HBO didn't immediately return a The Post's request for comment Thursday.
