This week's links. Enjoy.
How to Eat Like a King for Christmas
Slightly belated for the season, but still a fun read. Using antique technology and vintage cookbooks, food historian Ivan Day recreates Tudor and Victorian specialties like puddings and roast goose.
Meryl Streep: Force of Nature
Great Vogue interview with the brilliant Meryl Streep, with photos by Annie Leibovitz.
Goodbye Helen Frankenthaler
Sad news — the groundbreaking abstract painter Helen Frankenthaler passed away on Tuesday. So admired her and her work. Follow the link for the NYT obituary, which describes her career.
14 Of The Year's Best Ideas In Interface Design
Check out some of the most elegant interface designs from 2011, ranging from Bjork's Biophilia app to a cute tiny printer.
What's Up With Big Hair?
Writer Rebecca Willis ponders the mysteries of why hair extensions are so in demand — and why so many women feel that bigger hair is better.
The Old Problem of Writer's Block
Via artsjournal: "You close the door, boot up your laptop, open the right file and... five minutes later catch yourself thinking about dinner. By 10 a.m., you're staring at the wall, even squinting at it between your fingertips. Is this day 50 hours long?... Pick up an early medieval monastic text, however, and you will find extensive discussion of all the symptoms listed above, as well as a diagnosis." Fascinating that our technonologically advanced era still shares something in common with medieval monks and nuns.
50 Unexplainable Black and White Photos
A collection of vintage black and white photos that range from the amusing to the inexplicable to the frankly weird. Slightly NSFW, incidentally.
Holiday Appetizers
These delectable and inspiring recipes from Saveur would be perfect for a New Year's Eve party.
(lovely photo by kristian septimius krogh)