arosto, you're great-o!

Sometimes, there are too many good things happening all at once.
For one, DICKEY'S IS BACK. You can imagine our excitement!
Comfort-food binges are now back in style.

Secondly, we're going to London and Paris on a romantic extravaganza in TWO DAYS!
I can hardly stand it! I'm almost packed (meaning 6-8 hours to go, most likely) and am brimming over the edge with daydreams about crepes and macarons. I tried to quickly learn French yesterday but it turns out, learning a new language is hard. 

And lastly, but not leastly, we have a new favorite restaurant in town!
We've talked before about Waterstone Pizza downtown, which we adore. We've been a few times, most recently during our two-year-anniversary celebratory weekend.
Well, the same company that owns Waterstone has developed a more casual pizza place called Arosto!
We were totally blown away by this place.
It's located in the same little complex along Wards road (the main Lynchburg road beneath the university, that holds all the staples like Target, Walmart and Starbucks) as Chipotle and Bloop.
It's perfectly located, and is brand new and ready for our service.

Talk about the perfect atmosphere to enjoy a fire-roasted pizza after a work day!
Affordable date night, coming right up!

One of the best parts about this place is that it's quick! The service is great and works so well for a quick lunch or time-crunched dinner. But it's also perfectly welcoming for a leisurely chat with mouth-fulls of pepperoni!
Although, we've been there twice -- and the second time the place was packed!
So the word is getting out. :)

But the best part about this dining experience?
The pizzas are build-your-own. That's right!
The menu is loaded with fresh ingredients for you to pick and choose from to create the perfect, melty concoction of Italian pie.
Red sauce, or white? How about pesto? Pepperoni, sausage, bacon...pineapple? Jalapenos? Would you like some delicious goat cheese sprinkled on top?
YES PLEASE.

Once you load up your pizza creation, they cook it right there in their amazing oven and your food is delivered to your table in a few minutes, a hot and drizzled perfection.

But fear not, my minions. For you indecisive folk, there is a ready-to-order menu as well. Specialty Pizzas and good old fashioned Cheese, Margherita and Pepperoni pizzas lie patiently waiting for you to speak their name.

They also have salads and sandwiches! Check out their menu to discover its pleasures.

If you're not hungry yet, I haven't done my job.

And if you're wondering, my job is to make you want to come visit so we can go out and eat together!

Arosto, yum! :)

In love,
Cait

Fall Treats: Pumpkin Mac & Cheese

Have you ever heard something really weird and thought, "Oh my. That would be my new favorite thing."
This happens to me a lot. Like steamed broccoli and mustard (which was my aunt's idea, but she was pregnant so it made way more sense.)
Sometimes I really, really hope I have the most insane pregnancy cravings just so I can have the most absurd foods for 9 months straight.

I almost always love trying new things. Especially when it comes to food. (I added the almost always as a disclaimer, in case any of you weirdos try to get me to try something gross).
One time I made blueberry chicken just for the heck of it. Because honestly, all we had in the freezer was chicken, and blueberries. And so I figured, heya. Let's make this work.
I still really want to try mint blueberry chicken, but the weird look that my husband gave me when I first said "blueberry chicken" intensifies x10 when I add the "mint". So maybe that experiment will have to be when he's gone for a weekend or something.

What this all boils down to is that I saw this recipe for Pumpkin Mac and Cheese, and my mouth started to water. It's like I can taste the possibilities, despite the flavor gamble.
We just went over for a double date with some friends, and she had made pumpkin turkey chili, which was also incredibly delicious. The truth is, pumpkin is not just for pumpkin pie. It has so much potential.

The original recipe is here, on Spook Fork Bacon's blog.
As far as I can tell, it's a blog that I need to get better acquainted with.

If that picture doesn't help you to "taste the possibilities" I don't know what will.

My pictures are not so fancy -- I'm definitely not a food blogger. I don't even know what kind of blogger I am!

Pumpkin, Thyme Mac and Cheese
Serves 4 to 5

Ingredients:
2 cups milk
1 cup pumpkin puree
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
pinch ground nutmeg
pinch ground cloves
1 lb dry fusilli pasta (can substitute elbow macaroni)
2 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter
3 tablespoons all purpose flour
1 1/2 tablespoons minced thyme **I only used 1 tablespoon and it was plenty
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice **I used lime
2 ounces sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
2 ounces smoked gouda, shredded
1 ounce white extra sharp cheddar
salt and pepper to taste
garnish:
lightly toasted/buttered panko breadcrumbs

Directions:

1. Place milk, pumpkin puree, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves in a medium saucepan and stir together. Simmer for 15 to 20 minutes.

2. Fill a large pot with water and bring to a boil. Once the water comes to a boil add a generous amount of salt (2½ – 3 tablespoons) and then the pasta.

3. Boil pasta for 10 to 12 minutes or until al dente, stirring occasionally. Drain pasta and set aside.

4. Melt butter over medium heat in a medium saucepan. Sprinkle flour over melted butter and whisk together. Allow mixture to cook for 2 to 3 minutes. Stir in thyme.

5. Whisk pumpkin-milk mixture into flour mixture and continue to whisk until fully incorporated. Allow mixture to simmer until thick enough to coat the back of a wooden spoon, 3 to 4 minutes.

6. Place shredded cheese into a mixing bowl and toss together with lemon (lime) juice.

7. Stir cheese into the béchamel sauce and stir until cheese just melts. Season with salt and pepper. 

Reduce heat to low and gently stir pasta into the sauce, ½ cup at a time until all of the pasta has been added and is fully coasted in sauce. Adjust seasonings and serve immediately.

I topped ours with the buttered bread crumbs, and extra grated cheese for good measure!

My two cents:

1. Do not use all the thyme. The flavor was plentiful as it was. I would add 3/4 to 1 tablespoon, and then sprinkle more on top if you feel like it needs a bit more. It's always better to have too little than too much! It's an easier fix.

2. Grate all of your cheese ahead of time, before you start cooking the sauce. If you're like me, you get to the cheese portion, and frantically start grating as everything begins to boil over. To make cooking a breeze, grate first the cheese. New motto.

3. Serve it with a side salad or vegetables or something. It's very, very rich and filling, so I would start with a small bowl and a side and save the rest for leftovers!

I hope you try this, because it's a new favorite of both of us. We decided last night that it would be a Fall tradition!
And we have 3 lunches worth of leftovers! So I think I'll go have mine now, because my mouth is watering.

In love,
Cait

what day is it?

Last night, I had a dream that I saw Conrad Grayson from Revenge at a restaurant.

I was with about 30 other people for a big dinner party, and I frantically began to ask someone to follow me over there so I could discreetly ask for a picture with him, and maybe get his autograph.
Before I knew it, the 30 people I was with revealed themselves to be enormous idiots, unable to even walk straight, let alone take a picture with my iPhone.
They were crowding Grayson, walking in front of the picture, taking pictures of themselves instead of us...the list goes on and on.
Grayson was getting extremely annoyed with me, and I was about to die from embarrassment and frustration.

Now, while this wasn't a zombie dream, it was probably the most stressful dream I've ever had.
Absurd.

Funnily enough, the one thought I kept thinking was: "If I don't get this picture, I'll never be able to show it to them!!"
"Them" meaning my husband, my brother and sister-in-law, and any other friends that watch the show.
I was seriously upset.
I did happen to send a quick blurry photo to my dad via text, and he was pretty excited for me. Even though in real life, he's never watched the show.

It's so strange how often I'm absolutely convinced that my dream is real, and wake up really upset that whatever I've gained in my dream didn't magically come with me.
At least my dream dad will believe me.

Just wanted you to see and hear what I'm like in the middle of a nightmare.
Just ask Dusty.


We actually had a stellar Wednesday. Is stellar my new word? I've been using it a lot. So yeah.
Greek salad, pork, creamy dark chocolate pie with raspberries, coffee and 3 games of Dominion with friends made for a really nice mid-week break.
It's the general opinion that the infamous "hump day" shall now be our designated game night. I'm game! Pun intended!
Our friends also enjoyed Dominion so much that they whipped out their laptop and bought the big box set right then and there. So things are gonna get wild and crazy with our Dominion sets!

Speaking of interesting days of the week, I've been waking up every day this week like, "AH I can't believe it's Friday!"
Then, "Oh wait. It's Tuesday. Dang."

But today I can say, "It's STILL not Friday!!!"

So happy Thursday, everyone.

In love,
Cait

WE LEAVE TOMORROW