We’re closing in on the halfway mark between Thanksgiving and Christmas, with Hanukkah on the way next week, and it feels like a good time to pause and take a breath. At least here in Portland, even in the middle of a predicted “atmospheric river,” temperatures will be hovering in the mid-50s and there are bound to be breaks in the clouds to allow for a long walk or two. Owners of younger dogs like our Silas have to get out regardless, but if you’re without a canine, grab a human friend and get out anyway. After all, as the characters in Game of Thrones liked to remind us, “Winter is coming.”

I’m still finding myself reaching for the second dog bowl at feeding time and listening as I come down the stairs in the morning for the old-lady-in-slippers sound of Kitty’s paws on our wood floors since her passing just over a month ago—a month shy of what would have been her 16th birthday. We’re missing our girl and her cheery smile, her immense joy at being petted by the little girls at the elementary school across the street, and their initial puzzlement when we told them her name—”But she’s a dog…!”

It’s been a minute since I’ve put together a Good Stuff NW Holiday Gift Guide, so I took the opportunity to put in a word for giving the cold shoulder to the big box stores and giant online retailers, and instead spend your dollars where they'll do the most good—in your local community! Find recommendations for gifts of food from local producers and pointers on selecting the perfect book for the readers and cooks in your life, plus other tips for memorable gifting. Look for Part Two of this gift guide coming next week!

The holidays don’t preclude taking action to make our community, and our country, stronger and more equitable, especially in this fraught time, so I’ve put together the Three Issues in Three Minutes Challenge. Whether it’s calling for regulation of data centers, fighting factory farms or maintaining access to clean water, just click on the “Take Action” links in each section. Easy peasy!

And of course it wouldn’t be a holiday without good food and good friends, and I’ve got a spectacular Zingy Gochujang Cheese Cracker recipe that I adapted from the fabulous Dorie Greenspan’s original. A breeze to make, they’ll take your holiday charcuterie and cheese boards to the next level, guaranteed!

It’s a privilege that so many readers have pledged their support of Good Stuff NW on my Patreon page, and you can count on much more good stuff coming up in the New Year focused on celebrating our regional food system and helping it become more robust and resilient. Thanks to all of you for your support of this source of news you won’t find anyplace else, which has been and always will be free to access for everyone.

Wishing you much warmth and joy in this holiday season, and thanks so much for reading!

Best,

Kathleen Bauer