Lovin' & Livin' in Nashville: Our very Nashville Christmas

Our first Christmas in Nashville was a lovely affair! My brother, Bill, came in on Thursday evening and Vance and I kicked off the holiday weekend by taking him to 12 South Taproom for burgers & beer. Unfortunately, Vance worked through the holiday so he was up and out early every day. On Friday, my parents arrived from PA and we had a delicious Beef Bourguignon for dinner - following non-other than the acclaimed Julia Child's recipe. I made this dish on Tuesday night and let it marinate in the fridge. I will post about this recipe another day - let's just say it is a 4 hour process so don't plan to start it after a long day at work!
A few food highlights of the weekend include Whole Food's smoked gouda and vidalia onion dip - amazing. Mini crabcakes, a delicious cheese assortment, after dinner drinks, Mary Clark's creamed onions and, of course, turkey.

In honor of Breads 'n Cheese of Hershey (my first place of employment and one of my all-time favorite places), I make a cheese board every Christmas Eve. This year's assortment included a French Saint Andre (top - soft cheese), Dubliner Irish cheddar (clockwise - hard cheese), a goat's milk Gouda from Holland (semi-soft), Gorganzola (blue cheese from Italy), and Harvarti with dill (semi-soft/soft originally from Denmark). Under the tutelage of Diane and Niels Bilde, I learned a few important things about cheese. Allow cheese to warm up before serving, always use fresh plastic wrap (each time) when re-wrapping cheese, and garnish your cheese board with sweet fruits like grapes, berries and pears to cut the creaminess or dryness of the cheese. My favorite? Goat's milk Gouda is delicious!
Now that I addressed how we start a holiday (with cheese), I will address how we end a holiday (with drinks). Our pumpkin pie was accompanied by a pot of decaf and some delicious cordials.