Christmas 2013

Our Christmas Tour 2013 was a great one. Even if they were quick visits, we spent time with all three sets of our families over the four days around Christmas. We were spoiled rotten by all of the amazing gifts we were given, and left each place with full bellies. What more could you ask for in a Christmas? So blessed to be part our families. That is especially obvious at Christmas.

Disney in December: Hollywood Studios

The family and I headed to Florida this past week for our (almost) annual trip to Disney World! The six of us started our first day at Hollywood Studios. We rode some of our favorite rides, did some shopping, and of course spent quite a bit of time at our favorite, The Osborne Family Lights! It always puts me in the Christmas spirit year after year.

Cast Iron Blueberry Cobbler

Ever since my childhood pastor, Art, gave us a cast iron skillet for our wedding I've been finding all kinds of recipes that specifically tell you to use one. You can use it on the stove top or oven, so it's definitely a nice pan to have in your cabinet. My favorite cookbook currently is One Pan, Two Plates that uses a cast iron skillet in every recipe!

Here's Jake and my current favorite dessert using our old faithful skillet.

Cast Iron Blueberry Cobbler

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup unsalted butter
• 1 cup flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon minced dried lavender 
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup milk

• 1 cup sugar plus 1 tablespoon
• Juice and zest of 1 lemon
• 1 scraped vanilla bean
• 2 cups blueberries
• Vanilla Bean ice cream or lightly sweetened whipped cream, for serving, optional

Note: I couldn't find it in time, so I did not use the dried lavender. I also substituted 1 tsp of vanilla extract for the vanilla bean and it worked fine.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
Place the butter in an 8-inch cast-iron skillet and transfer to the preheated oven to melt.

Meanwhile, mix together the flour, baking powder, lavender and salt in a bowl. Stir in the milk, 1 cup sugar, the lemon juice, zest and vanilla to combine. Mix together the remaining tablespoon sugar and the blueberries in another bowl. Remove the hot skillet with the melted butter from the oven and pour in the batter. Top with the sugared blueberries. Bake until brown and the batter has risen up and around the fruit, about 30 minutes.

Transfer to a rack to cool slightly. Serve with vanilla bean ice cream or lightly sweetened whipped cream. 

Enjoy! :)

Bits and Pieces of Fall

Now that December is here, I realize what a wonderful fall we have had. Full of trips and fall activities that always add up to this being my favorite season.

Beautiful trees in our yard and on our drives .

 


Sharing apples and conversation with good friends.

 

Enjoying multiple concerts, including an amazing one by The Lone Bellow.

Watching the Bengals vs. Browns in great seats, then outrunning a tornado to get home.

 

Enjoying a chicken dinner with my favorite vet on Veteran's Day.

...and cheering on the #1 Pacers during multiple games since October.

 

Nashville: Our Picks

Thankfully, we have some wonderful friends that shared their favorite spots in Nashville before we visited. They did not steer us wrong! I highly recommend asking around before going to a new city. Our trip would not have been near as memorable without their help.

Here are our picks when traveling to Nashville. I hope they help if you ever find yourself there!

Ryman Auditorium
The "Mother Church of Country Music". This was the first home to the Grand 'Ol Opry. We geeked out over the Johnny Cash exhibit and the fact that they allow you to get up on the same stage where he once played! It didn't hurt that we watched John Mellencamp's crew set up his gear for that night's show!



The 5 Spot
I talked about The 5 Spot in my previous Nashville post, but it is just a great dive bar/venue experience. It's not intimidating at all and the bands were great!



 The Pharmacy
Fun, hipster restaurant in East Nashville. Gourmet burger, milkshakes, and a beer garden. They make their own sausages for goodness sakes!

Barista Parlor
Coolest coffee shop I've ever been to. It was once a car garage, so it still has vintage motor cycles and the garage doors as part of the decor. We actually went here two mornings in a row we loved the vibe (and coffee...and sausage biscuit) so much!


Crema
Another awesome coffee shop closer to downtown Nashville. I had a pear rosemary scone with my coffee that I wouldn't mind eating every day for breakfast. We went here on a rainy morning and it was so cozy I didn't want to leave.




 Hatch Show Print
Famous print shop where concert and event posters have been made for years and years. They still use a letter press to make their posters! They have such a neat, vintage vibe. They are each like pieces of art. They just moved their operations into the Country Music Hall of Fame. We bought quite a few to hang on our walls.

Third Man Records
Jack White's (of The White Stripes, The Raconteurs, etc.) record company. The have a record store, and they record and press their own vinyl next door. The store is quite the experience even though it's small. I highly recommend going!





Jack's Bar-B-Que
Iconic BBQ place right across from the Ryman. We went there right after our Ryman tour and just soaked up the atmosphere of Broadway Street. Oh, and the bar-b-que was delicious!

The Parthenon
Nashville has been called "The Athens of the South," so it's only fitting that they built a scale version of The Parthenon for their centennial celebration, right? It's smack dab in the middle of a beautiful park. The inside has the history of The Parthenon, an art gallery, and a HUGE statue of Athena.



The Hip Zipper
Best vintage store I've ever been to. A lot of times I'm intimidated by vintage stores and to even try anything on, but the girl working here couldn't have been more welcoming and helpful. She even gave us a huge list of of other vintage stores and her favorite restaurants in the area. Jake and I both walked away with some great finds!

Gruhn Guitars
a HUGE guitar shop just outside of downtown. Jake was in heaven. Mandolins, banjos, and lots of other things I'm sure he could tell you about. They even let you try out any instrument you would like. When else will you get to play a $5,000 guitar?



Opryland Hotel
This hotel has its own zip code it's so big. We didn't actually stay there (although I would love to someday), but we did pay to park and walked around for a few hours. There is  basically a small city inside the hotel, complete with tropical trees, rivers, cobblestone walkways, gazebos...you get the picture. It's huge, and definitely worth seeing.

Twenty One Pilots

We went to see them while in Nashville. This is not a "Nashville" pick per say, but they are just a really good band that you should check out! :) They are amazing live, too!!


Now go forth, and have a great time in Nashville!