Last dinner for the WFMU 2026 fundraising marathon — The Greatest Hits from what we made previous years:

— Scallion noodles from My Shanghai — probably the most popular dish out of everything I’ve ever made. Each time I quadruple the recipe and think looking at the mountain in front of me: overdid. Nope. Each time they disappear first.

— Alison Roman’s Goodbye Meatballs, basic red sauce meatballs but so different with the addition of ricotta.

— Rick Bayless’s chili from The Mexican Kitchen. It’s the real chili chili — not diluted with tomatoes or beans — pounds of anchos toasted, rehydrated, and mashed to a paste.

— Read braised ribs from Xi’an Famous Foods, sweet licorice melting tender.

— Tom Valenti’s sopressatta lasagna with mushrooms and spinach — spicy and creamy — absolutely the best.

— Spanakopita from Taverna, the easiest fastest recipe and the best because the greens are not precooked but salt drained.

— Andrea Nguyen’s pork water dumplings that pair perfectly with Sichuan chili oil.

— Korean carrot salad from Samarkand. So much history behind this everyone’s favorite — IYKYK.

— Oshizushi from Debra Anderson’s Japanese Table — a hit at every party I ever made it for.

— Back to Xi’an Famous Foods with the smashed cucumber salad.

— And my MIL’s famous carrot cake. Back when I didn’t know how to peel carrots, she made it for us to take to the office when we got married. Tom Brokaw pointed out that was the best carrot cake he’d ever had. And he probably had a few.

#food #cooking #fundraisingmarathon #wfmu #thegreatesthits #dinner
These are dark times. There’s no denying… Here we are, at our 12 Grimmauld Place, where there is always light and music.

No bangers with mash or meatballs this time. The idea for this dinner came exactly a year ago as we were walking by Claremont Square, the actual filming location of the Order of the Phoenix's headquarters. We were on our way back from Tayyabs, an iconic family-run Pakistani-Punjabi restaurant in London, after a dinner which memory lasts to this day.

A couple of cookbooks later and the menu for the next WFMU Fundraising Marathon was done.

Listen and pledge — 91.1 FM

800.989.9368

WFMU.ORG

#food #cooking #wfmu #fundraisingmarathon #dinner #pakistanitable #punjabifood
“These are dark times. There’s no denying…”

But there are always 12 Grimmauld Place. Or the Burrow.

Here’s one more such place where there is light and music.

No bangers with mash or meatballs with onion sauce this time but some Chinese fare with Hunan flavors for a change.

Another year, another WFMU Fundraising Marathon.

Listen and pledge — 91.1 FM

800.989.9368

WFMU.ORG

#wfmu #radio #music #listenersupportedradio #food #cooking #chinesefood #fundraisingmarathon
There are three of us in this marriage: me, him, and WFMU. But it’s not crowded.

For years I struggled for his attention — WFMU always had it. Once the children went on their own, all by myself, I took a train to Jersey City and joined the volunteer crowd of the best freeform, listener-supported, completely independent radio.

WFMU does not belong to any public broadcasting network. The programming is done in-house by volunteer DJs — “experimentation, spontaneity and humor are among the station's most frequently noted distinguishing traits."

And it’s that time of the year — WFMU MARATHON.

March 3rd through March 16th!

Tune in to win prizes, laugh your head off, and support the best non-commercial independent freeform listener-supported radio station to ever rock the airwaves.

91.1 FM or WFMU.ORG anywhere in the world

To pledge, call 800-989-9368.

#wfmu #radio #freeformradio #independent #community #music #listenersupported #fundraisingmarathon #pledge