Life + Culture

Oregon Inspired Holiday Recipes

Local Flavors and Seasonal Ingredients to Add a Twist to Your Traditional Meal Article by Julie E. Furnas When we think of a traditional holiday meal, classic dishes come to mind – oven roasted or smoked turkey, baked ham, stuffing, seasonal vegetables, mashed, sweet potatoes, rich gravy, warm rolls and perhaps a casserole or two. Like most states, Oregon boasts a unique cuisine that deeply influences our state’s culture, daily eating habits and our holiday traditions. Our natural, rich...

Arts + Culture

The Greatest Gift: Time

Giving More Presence and Less Presents to Bring Meaning and True Connection to the Holidays Article by Lynette Confer For many, the holiday season is wrapped in equal parts magic and frantic busyness, with the true meaning of the season often lost in between. As calendars fill and to-do lists grow, finding that perfect gift for everyone on the list often becomes a challenge and a chore. But what if instead of giving more material things, we gave something far more valuable—our time. What if...

Arts + Culture

Cocktails and Cocoa

Elevate Your Holiday Entertaining with a Festive Cocktail Bar for Adults and a Whimsical Hot Cocoa Bar Kids Will Love Article by Julie E. Furnas There is a long history of clinking glasses during the holidays, toasting to prosperity and wealth, dating back to ancient midwinter festivals with communal, spiced warm drinks like mulled wines and old English ‘wassail’ or cider blended with apples, oranges and spices. As trade routes expanded in the Middle Ages and other spirits became more...

Arts + Culture

A Wreath of Your Own

Handcrafted Evergreen Wreaths to Welcome the Spirit of the Holiday Season Article by Lynette Confer This holiday season, sprinkle a bit of magic into your home with a handcrafted evergreen wreath. There is something timeless about gathering fragrant boughs, weaving them into shape on a circular frame, and adding elegant, even whimsical, accents like ribbons, berries, or ornaments. Whether you are using trimmings from a tree your family cut by hand, or selecting greenery from a local craft...

Life + Culture

Precision Medicine in Bend

Interventional Radiology: A Field Forged in Innovation and Fueled by Collaboration Article by Allison Zaslow | Photography by Benjamin Edwards Photography In the high-tech world of modern medicine, few specialties embody innovation like Interventional Radiology (IR). Once a little-known branch of diagnostic imaging, IR is now one of the most dynamic and rapidly advancing areas of patient care—addressing a wide range of conditions with precision, efficiency, and compassion. And here in Bend...

Arts + Culture

Capturing Moments in Time

Local Photographer Transforms Fleeting Moments Into Lasting Treasures for Families Article by Sue Baldani For award-winning photographer Natalie Stephenson, her love for capturing images all began when she received her first camera as a young girl. “I got my first point-and-shoot at age 9 and loved photographing everything—mostly family and pets,” she says. When her mother started taking photography classes at the community college, she admired her printed black and white work and tried to...

Arts + Culture

Thanksgiving on the Go

Gratitude and Traditions Don’t Need an Address Article by Lynette Confer Thanksgiving does not have to mean a crowded kitchen and the perfect table setting surrounded by four walls. Gratitude is a state of mind and can go anywhere you do. For a growing number of people enjoying RV or van life, living life on the road might mean finding ways to adapt holiday traditions, or even create new ones. You can still have the turkey and pie, just with a dash of wanderlust. Recent statistics show an...

Life + Culture

Bok Choy? Sure!

Our Region’s Oregon Food Bank Provider Gets Creative Article by Donna Burklo | Photography by Cyr Beckley Running a food assistance program these days is at times a lesson in making “Stone Soup.” Start with what you have and encourage community participation in order to make it something actually palatable and filling. “I find out when I open my email,” says a frustrated Carly Auten, NeighborImpact Food Program Director, about the decrease in available food. “The usual order form is just...

Life + Culture

Preserving the Bounty

Cascades Cannery Aims to Keep the Taste of Central Oregon Alive Long After the Harvest Article by By Maegen Hindson There’s a certain magic in the high desert. You can taste it in a sun-warmed cherry tomato, bursting with sweetness that only our long days, cool nights, and volcanic soils can create. You can smell it in a fresh-cut bunch of basil, its aroma sharpened by the dry mountain air. You can see it in peppers that shine from lemon yellow to plum purple, their skins glossy under our...

Arts + Culture

Serving Beauty: How Handcrafted Ceramics Elevate Everyday Meals

Handmade Pottery Connects Us to the Land, the Maker and the Simple Joy of Sharing Food Article by Lynette Confer | Photography by Shadow Bear Media Our lives are busy, but mealtimes are often the perfect opportunity to slow down and savor. Handcrafted dishware—whether made by your own hands or found in a local artist’s studio—brings art and beauty to the table. There is magic in a handmade mug or wheel-thrown plate, each piece unique and perfectly imperfect. Because pottery is both functional...