National Heart Month

Its seems that February and hearts have become synonymous. Naturally, Valentines Day is the obvious culprit for this association, but there may be more reasons than you think. The month of February is in fact National Heart Month and it is amazing all of the simple activities you can add to your life and improve your heart health. This year the American Heart Association has dedicated February 2012 to raising awareness towards women's heart health. Today we will focus on the different locations and services Downtown Lynchburg has to offer that will help everyone get their heart in great shape!

One great way to improve your heart health is by practicing yoga. Yoga is a wonderful way to exercise your body as well as providing you with stress relieving relaxation and meditation techniques. And lets face it, the less stress the better! Dowtown Lynchburg has got you covered in all directions featuring classes provided by James River Yoga and Bikram Yoga of Lynchburg. Both studios have a list of different classes that they provide, that will make fitting exercise and relaxation into your busy schedule a breeze!

Another fun activity that is great for the whole family is indoor rock climbing. Rise Up Climbing, on Church St, has tons of offers for individuals, parties, and the ever deal searching college student. This is a fun and interactive way to get your heart pumping and have a blast doing it! The YMCA and Iron Grace also have a long list of classes, gym equipment, and other amenities to get you on the road to a healthy heart. You might just be surprised at how fun working out can be! http://downtownlynchburg.com/play/Fitness.html

These are just a few fun and exciting suggestions! Keep a look out on our Facebook and Twitter pages to stay up to date on more information about Downtown Lynchburg, and PLEASE share your stories and ideas with us! We want to hear all the things you love about Downtown Lynchburg!! Don't forget to wear red in support of National Heart month!

Have a healthy and happy day,

Lynchs Landing

Downtown Valentines

Although the weather seems to be playing tricks on us lately, that LOVELY time of year has crept up on us once again. Luckily, Downtown Lynchburg has an unlimited amount of restaurants, shops, and entertainment to make your Valentines Day plans unforgettable!

The Art Box will be hosting a Valentines Day card making workshop on Saturday, February 11 from 1:00-2:00 pm. What better way to impress your significant other and show them how much you care than with a hand made card? There are also tons of amazing deals going on that you should definitely keep a look out for. Tastes Selects has an irresistible offer of $5 off of their gourmet chocolate covered strawberries, when you order on or before Wednesday, February 8, 2012. It is a chocolate lovers dream come true!

Also going on right now, is a Groupon deal for Jimmy on the James. Spend $15 and receive a value of $30 for your meal. What a great way to "jazz" up your evening out this Valentines Day! These are just a few of the many amazing features of Downtown Lynchburg, so make sure you get downtown and check out all it has to offer! Please share with us your favorite Downtown Valentines Day plans, and don't forget to like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter to stay up to date on all of the latest Downtown events!

Lynchs Landing

Thanksgiving Made Easy

This Thanksgiving Chef Marisa, owner of Catalano's Delicatessen, is here to help you prepare for the holidays. Once a month she hosts a cooking class and this month one of our own was able to attend and get the full experience. The theme was "Fall Bounty" and one of our favorite recipes is this mouth-watering Apple Crostada with Salted Caramel Sauce. Just in time to try as a new desert for Thanksgiving! We have featured the recipe below so let us know if you try it out and what you think! Also -- see below the recipe for a very special Catalano's Thanksgiving offer!

Apple Crostada with Salted Caramel Sauce

Serves 4

For the crust:

8 tablespoons butter, diced

2 cups flour

½ teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons sugar

1 egg yolk

½ cup sour cream

In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine the butter, flour, sugar and salt. Using the paddle attachment, beat on low speed until it reaches a sandy consistency.

Whisk the yolk and sour cream together and add to the bowl, continue to beat until a dough forms. Remove it from the bowl and paddle onto a floured surface. Bring together into a disk, wrap with plastic wrap and chill for 1 hour.

Roll the dough out into a large, evenly thick disc. Starting at one end of the disc, roll the dough up onto the rolling pin and then roll out again onto a parchment lined sheet tray.

For the filling:

5 apples, cored, cut in ½ -inch thick slices

(you can replace apples with pears, berries, walnuts, raisins, pine nuts etc..)

½ cup sugar

1 teaspoon cinnamon

½ teaspoon allspice

½ teaspoon nutmeg

2 tablespoons heavy cream

Natural sugar

2 tablespoons butter

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Combine the apples, sugar and spices in a mixing bowl and toss well to coat. Pour the filling into the center of the rolled out dough. Fold the edges of dough up around the filling leaving the center open. Using a pastry brush, brush the edge of the crostada with cream and then sprinkle with natural sugar. Dot the center with butter.

Bake for 30 minutes, until the crust is golden brown and the apples are softened. Remove and cool before slicing.

For the sauce:

1 cup sugar

6 tablespoons butter

½ cup heavy cream

Coarse sea salt

Combine the sugar and butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Cook, whisking continuously, until the mixture begins to turn golden brown. Add the cream while whisking vigorously until smooth. Serve poured over a slice of crostada with the sea salt sprinkled on top for garnish.

Also Catalano's wants to make your Thanksgiving meal a very special and non-stressful event. Be sure to check their website: www.catalanosdelicatessen.com/thanksgiving-dinner/. If you aren't so savvy in the kitchen, you can relax because Catalano's wants to help cook dinner FOR YOU!!

A very happy Thanksgiving to all of you out there, may your travels be safe and your memories be merry. Don't forget to give thanks for all of the wonderful things in your life! Happy Thanksgiving Lynchburg!

Lynch's Landing

Lynch's Landing Returns to the Blogging Scene!

Hello Lynchburgers!

We apologize for our absence from this blog lately! However, we are back! Lynch’s Landing works to keep you in the know about the latest happenings in Downtown Lynchburg. Our plan for the upcoming holiday season is to bring you tips, specials and information to support downtown businesses. We want this to be a fun place to share things with you! News about Downtown Lynchburg can be found many places, so be sure “like” our Facebook Page, ‘follow’ us on Twitter, find out all of the wonderful things to do downtown by visiting our Website and sign up for our weekly E-Blast! We would love for all of you to be involved in supporting downtown businesses. We hope you love them as much as we do!

So tell us: What do you want to know? We’re soliciting suggestions for blog posts this Autumn. Comment here and let us know what you’re into. We hope to hear from you. In the meantime, be sure to get Downtown, Lynchburg!