Filmmaker David O. Russell was on the show January 24, 2013, to talk about his movie "Silver Linings Playbook." He shared his guest picks with us. Find out what he's reading, watching, and listening to.

Elizabeth Marvel was here with her co-star Mare Winningham to talk about the Roundabout Theatre Company’s new Broadway production of William Inge’s play “Picnic.” She shared a few of her favorite things with us.

Mare Winningham was here with her co-star Elizabeth Marvel to talk about the Roundabout Theatre Company’s new Broadway production of William Inge’s play “Picnic.” She shared a few of her favorite things with us.

New Yorker writer D. T. Max stopped by to talk about his biography of the author David Foster Wallace, Every Love Story is a Ghost Story. He shared his guest picks with us.

New Yorker writer and Pulitzer Prize-winner Lawrence Wright was on the Leonard Lopate Show recently to talk about Going Clear, his book about Scientology. He also told us what he's been reading, listening to and eating. Find out what he's a fan of!

Grammy Award-winning singer Aaron Neville was on the Leonard Lopate Show recently to talk about his latest album, "My True Story." He also told us about a few of his favorite things. (His answer to our first question kind of blew us away -- and sounds incredible.) Find out Aaron Neville's fan of!

Actor Zoe Perry and her mother Laurie Metcalf were on the Lopate Show recently to talk about playing mother and daughter in the new play, "The Other Place." She also told us about learning to knit and crochet with the help of YouTube. Find out what else Zoey Perry's a fan of!

Actor Laurie Metcalf and her daughter Zoe Perry were on the Lopate Show recently to discuss playing mother and daughter in the new play, "The Other Place." Laurie also told us what she's been reading and listening to recently. Find out what she's a fan of!

Dena Kaye was on the Leonard Lopate Show recently to talk about the 100th anniversary of the birth of her father, the entertainer Danny Kaye. She also told us what she's been reading and watching recently.

Clara Ann Fowler was one of 11 children born to a railroad laborer in a small town outside of Tulsa, Oklahoma.  As “Patti Page,” she would become one of the most successful singers in the 1950s.  Her honeyed voice made hits of songs like “Tennessee Waltz,” “(How Much Is) That Doggie in the Window,” “Allegheny Moon,” and “Hush… Hush, Sweet Charlotte.”  She died recently at the age of 85.  And you can listen to her reminisce with Leonard in an interview from March 2001.

Robert Bork made history back in 1987 when his nomination to the Supreme Court was blocked by Congressional Democrats. As a result, modern boundaries of cultural fights over abortion, civil rights, and other issues were drawn. As solicitor general in the U.S. Justice Department, Bork had been involved in the 1973 "Saturday night massacre" of the Watergate era, carrying out President Richard Nixon's order to fire special prosecutor Archibald Cox. The former federal judge and conservative legal scholar died just recently at the age of 85, and you can hear his 1989 interview with Leonard.

The Wall Street Journal just published what was Ada Louise Huxtable’s last article about the 42nd Street Library’s restructuring on December 4th of last year.  Her prose was vigorous as ever, belying her 91 years. She had accomplished many “firsts” in the course of her long career at the New York Times and the Wall Street Journal – including as the first full-time architecture critic at an American newspaper, as well as winning the first Pulitzer Prize for criticism, awarded in 1970. You can hear her December 2008 interview with Leonard here.

Tony Walker, one of the people who's the subject of Michael Apted's 7 Up series, was on the Lopate Show to discuss "56 Up," the 7th installment of the project. Apted has been following 14 men and women since the age of 7, checking in with them every 7 years. Tony is now a cab driver in London and he told us what he's been reading and listening to -- and his favorite comfort food, which is a classic.

Filmmaker Michael Apted was on the Leonard Lopate Show recently to talk about his film "56 Up," the latest installment in his "7 Up" series. He's been following 14 men and women since the age of 7, checking in with them every 7 years, and he was joined by Tony Walker, a member of the group who became a London cab driver. Apted also told us what he's been reading and watching in between.

By Minimally Invasive / Serves 8 to 10

WHO: Minimally Invasive, a graphic designer and freelance writer living in Ringwood, New Jersey, is always up for trying something new. Her latest projects are perfecting her smoker technique, as well as turning out the perfect focaccia. She blogs at www.chimeraobscura.com/mi.

WHAT: A hearty, earthy ragu best made a day in advance. We’re confident this would be just as satisfying over pasta as it is over polenta.

HOW: Mushrooms, which are pureed with the rest of the sauce once the short ribs are fall-apart tender, make the liquid cloaking the shredded short ribs nice and meaty, and the wine, anchovy, tomato paste, and mustard make it sing.

WHY WE LOVE IT : Minimally Invasive wrote, “Let’s be honest, short ribs are great in any incarnation, but I wanted to use them in a ragu that had a little more oomph than the typical braise, so I went into umami overdrive with porcini.” The gremolata is a nice bright touch at the end. On a frosty winter evening, this would be perfect with a big green salad and the other half of that bottle of red wine.

By Midge / Serves 4

WHO: Midge lives in Boston and is a journalist specializing in travel. She says, “Cooking, especially baking, is my way of winding down after a long day.”

WHAT: A rich pudding that has just the right balance of bitter and sweet.

HOW: Starting the water bath with cool water, rather than hot, cooks the pudding very gently, giving it the most incredibly silken, glossy structure.

WHY WE LOVE IT: Puddings thickened with cornstarch make great comfort food, but Midge’s luxurious caramel custard, which uses egg yolks as its only setting agent, elevates pudding to dinner party fare. As with any egg-enriched custard, the key is careful tempering. As for the caramel, be sure to brown it as far as your nerves allow.

Midge says: “So far, one of the best parts about living in Boston is my proximity to Toscanini’s burnt caramel ice cream. I’m not even that into ice cream, but this flavor, with its slight bitter edge to cut the richness, is cracklike. I attempted to capture it in a pudding, and after incinerating a lot of sugar, I think I finally got it.”

By Table9 / Serves 1

WHO: Table9 is a Greensboro, Alabama, youth program director and passionate home chef.

WHAT: A refreshing, balanced toddy that won’t make you feel as if you’ve been hit over the head with booze.

HOW: Table9 was adamant about using Maker’s Mark bourbon—“the only true bourbon to drink”—as the base of this toddy.

WHY WE LOVE IT: It turns out that bourbon and citrus are a great match, and just a hint of honey smooth out any rough edges. Cheers!

1/4 cup fresh Meyer lemon juice (regular lemon juice will do in a pinch)

1/2 cup fresh blood orange juice

1 teaspoon honey

1 shot (1 1/2 ounces) Maker’s Mark bourbon

1 cinnamon stick

1. Combine the citrus juices with the honey and bourbon in a tumbler. Add just enough hot water

to fill the glass almost to the top. Serve with the cinnamon stick.

What the Community Said:

hardlikearmour: “Congrats! What a beautiful drink. Love the blood orange.”

From The Food52 Cookbook: 140 Winning Recipes from Exceptional Home Cooks, by Amanda Hesser and Merrill Stubbs.

Cartoonist Chris Ware was on the show to talk about his graphic novel box set Building Stories. He shared his guest picks with us.

Ric Ocasek, songwriter, poet, producer, and founding member of The Cars, shared his guest picks with us when he came by to talk about his new book, Lyrics & Prose.