I have been trying a lot more new recipes lately. I wanted to eat things with more vegetables and try new recipes and try to be the cute good chief of a wife I always wanted to be. And it helps that I have the most amazing husband who'll eat anything (accept mushrooms) and try anything I throw at him and be SO grateful for it. It makes me feel to appreciated and so I want to cook more for him!! I am sharing some of the recipes I've tried lately. I really like the Mediterranean and Thai foods. So I hope you try some and like them too!! And food network is my new best friend. I can just type in an ingredient I have in my fridge that I want to use and it pulls up things and you can sort them by their ratings, and how easy they are. I find that the ratings are SUPER helpful. And you can find lots of substitutes for the wines in the recipes, just type in google what they suggest and I get things like chicken broth, or a vinegar or oil instead of the wine. I also have been trying to clump my meals together that have similar ingredients, like cilantro, to make sure I use all of it.
Moroccan Lamb Kabobs:
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/dave-lieberman/moroccan-lamb-kabobs-recipe/index.html
We ate these with lots of onion, green peppers, and zucchini on the kabobs and I just put salt and peper on them and they absorbed the flavor of the lamb, which was absolutely amazing.
Moraccan White Bean Sliders:
1/2 red bell pepper
3 scallions
1/2 cup cilantro
1 clove garlic
1 tsp coriander
1 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp harissa (receipt below if you can't find the paste in the grocery store)
2 cups white beans or 1 15.5 oz can rinsed and drained
3/4 cup panko breadcrumbs
1 large egg
3 tablesppon olive oil
8 small pita breads
1/2 cup mayonnaise and 1 Tbl harissaa, mixed
Lettuce leaves and sliced tomatoes
In a food processor, pulse red bell peper, scallions, cilantro, garlic, coriander, cumin, harissa and salt until finely chopped. Add beans and pulse until coarsely mashed.
Transfer misture to a bowl and add breadcrumbs and egg. Mix with hands and shape into burgers (can place on wax paper and refrigerate 30 minutes to help solidify). Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add sliders and cook 3-4 min on each side or until golden brown. Spread harissa and mayonnaise into pitas, line with lettuce leaf, tomato and a slider.
Harissa Recipe link:
http://www.whats4eats.com/sauces/harissa-recipe
Sriracha spread Alaska salmon
1 cup cilantro leaves
2 Tbl Sriracha souce (Thai chili sauce)
1 1/2 Tbl fresh lime juice
1 Tbl peanut oil
4 Alaska Salmon steaks or fillets
Sea salt to taste
Heat oven to 350 F. IN a food processor mis first 4 ingredients together. Rince salmon under cold water and pat dry with paper towel. Place salmon on a spray-coated baking pan; eason with sea salt. Spread mixture over salmon. Cook salmon until opaue throughout (10-15 min for fresh, 15-20 for frozen)
I put the fish on vegetables like asparagus or red and green peppers to add some flavor to the vegetables as well.
Here are two more that we actually like to eat together to get some vegetables in:
Asian Green Bean Salad:
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/emeril-lagasse/asian-green-bean-salad-recipe/index.html
For this one I recommend using half of the olive oil. We have also had it with feta cheese to give it a different flavor.
Chicken Satay with Spicy Peanut Sauce
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/chicken-satay-with-spicy-peanut-sauce-and-cucumber-relish-recipe/index.html
This one is Dustin's favorite from what he last told me. We have had it on skewers and cooked on broil or just cooked in a pan and on the skewers made it taste SO much better!!
I hope you enjoy these!! They have been fun!!
Saturday, August 28, 2010
Thursday, August 12, 2010
Phoenix
This is the husband again. We had the opportunity to spend some time in Arizona visiting friends and family. For both of us, it was an amazing experience hanging out with so many amazing people.
The trip started at my Hinton family reunion in Flagstaff. We had a blast camping, playing softball, and playing marshmallow blowgun wars. Probably most fun for me was seeing all my family and watching Nicki trying to remember all the names of my huge family. Coming in a close second, however, was seeing my brother change his boy's diaper on the hood of his van. Priceless!
We also spent some good time in Phoenix where we got to see some of Nicki's old friends.
I got to meet Pat and Robin Finn. Awesome people. Pat and I chatted up sports while Nicki and Robin caught up over buffalo wings. Great food, great people, and sports, what more can a guy ask for?
Here are Jenny, Monica and Nicki on our shopping trip to the outlets. This was a huge accomplishment for me as we shopped for around 3-4 hours. My longest shopping experience yet without wanting to poke my eyes out. I won't bore you with the details on what we bought, but we were pleased.
We also spent a fun evening with Nicki's old roommates eating and singing karaoke. Apparently it was a common occurrence for Jen, Emily, Bonnie Jeane and Nicki when they lived together.
We were also hosted at a potluck at Nicki's old bishop's house where some friends got together for some good food and laughs. It was a privilege to meet the Nielsen's and we thank them for their hospitality. It was also great to finally put faces with all of those names. On the flip side Nicki finally got to meet my old roommate Marshall and his wife Janelle. Nicki isn't the only popular one.
One part of the trip I am especially proud of is my rental care, as detailed below, and the hot girl that came with it. 'Nuff said.
The trip started at my Hinton family reunion in Flagstaff. We had a blast camping, playing softball, and playing marshmallow blowgun wars. Probably most fun for me was seeing all my family and watching Nicki trying to remember all the names of my huge family. Coming in a close second, however, was seeing my brother change his boy's diaper on the hood of his van. Priceless!
We also spent some good time in Phoenix where we got to see some of Nicki's old friends.
I got to meet Pat and Robin Finn. Awesome people. Pat and I chatted up sports while Nicki and Robin caught up over buffalo wings. Great food, great people, and sports, what more can a guy ask for?
I also had the privilege of meeting the Mitch, Jenny, and Monica Moses family. We had a good ol' time swimming and shopping. It was fun getting to know such thoroughly good friends. I especially enjoyed working my charms on Monica. I think she likes me!
We also spent a fun evening with Nicki's old roommates eating and singing karaoke. Apparently it was a common occurrence for Jen, Emily, Bonnie Jeane and Nicki when they lived together.
One part of the trip I am especially proud of is my rental care, as detailed below, and the hot girl that came with it. 'Nuff said.
*photo shoot courtesy of Tammy Diva Inc.
Sunday, August 8, 2010
Skydiving!!
Dad Shepherd, Nicki, and I had the time of our lives skydiving in June. This is something that all three of us have always wanted to do. We thought it a particularly good time to go since we were married for eternity by then... jk
On 19 June, we traveled down to Skydive Orange, roughly 2 hours south of us, to have the experience of a lifetime. We were not disappointed in this regard.
When we arrived, a book-sized set of permission forms were handed to us. The next five hours were spent going over these forms guaranteeing, in about 1000 different ways, that we wouldn't sue them. Once finished, they shuffled us out outside where we practiced throwing back our hands, head, and legs properly. The purpose of this was to not drive our tandem jumping instructor crazy when falling out of the sky. We were now fully qualified jumpers.
We waited for a while, took pictures, and watched other jumpers land. They called our numbers and we went to the hanger to gear up. A sturdy harness and helmet was strapped on us, we met our jumping instructors, and then headed to the plane.
The plane had two benches where we sat in front of our instructors. The plane took off and seemed to reach 13,000 feet really fast (our jumping altitude). Before we knew it, our instructors were pushing us to the plane's open door. We didn't have much time to get nervous. Our instructors counted to 3 and pushed us out the door. The sensation that followed is simply indescribable--elation, exhilaration, terror, enjoyment, and sheer joy!
At 6,000, after about a minute of free fall, feet we all pulled our shoots. Instantly, the screaming wind stopped and it was almost silent. Floating out of the sky is an incredibly peaceful feeling. We floated down for about 5 minutes. Our tandem instructors, while guiding us back to the hanger, spun us around by pulling on the shoots' sides. This was enough for Nicki to loose it when she hit the ground. Her lunch didn't stand a chance.
All in all, it was an amazing experience! We strongly recommend it to everyone!
Enjoy the pictures.
On 19 June, we traveled down to Skydive Orange, roughly 2 hours south of us, to have the experience of a lifetime. We were not disappointed in this regard.
When we arrived, a book-sized set of permission forms were handed to us. The next five hours were spent going over these forms guaranteeing, in about 1000 different ways, that we wouldn't sue them. Once finished, they shuffled us out outside where we practiced throwing back our hands, head, and legs properly. The purpose of this was to not drive our tandem jumping instructor crazy when falling out of the sky. We were now fully qualified jumpers.
We waited for a while, took pictures, and watched other jumpers land. They called our numbers and we went to the hanger to gear up. A sturdy harness and helmet was strapped on us, we met our jumping instructors, and then headed to the plane.
The plane had two benches where we sat in front of our instructors. The plane took off and seemed to reach 13,000 feet really fast (our jumping altitude). Before we knew it, our instructors were pushing us to the plane's open door. We didn't have much time to get nervous. Our instructors counted to 3 and pushed us out the door. The sensation that followed is simply indescribable--elation, exhilaration, terror, enjoyment, and sheer joy!
At 6,000, after about a minute of free fall, feet we all pulled our shoots. Instantly, the screaming wind stopped and it was almost silent. Floating out of the sky is an incredibly peaceful feeling. We floated down for about 5 minutes. Our tandem instructors, while guiding us back to the hanger, spun us around by pulling on the shoots' sides. This was enough for Nicki to loose it when she hit the ground. Her lunch didn't stand a chance.
All in all, it was an amazing experience! We strongly recommend it to everyone!
Enjoy the pictures.
Thursday, August 5, 2010
Cedar Point
We've had a long hiatus from posting. So, the next few posts will be catch up. We apologize for not posting in chronological order, but better late then never.
So, going back in time to the Monday before the wedding, we took a trip to Cedar Point Amusement Park. The point of the trip was to de-stress from wedding prep and just have fun. Lucky for us, school was still in session and it was rainy--we got the park almost to ourselves. The only down side was that the fastest roller coaster, the Dragster, was out of commission. That meant we missed out on a 120 mph thrill ride. Despite the downside, we still rode lots of coasters at really fast speeds. One highlight was riding the Millenium Force three times in the rain at 93 mph. Basically, the rain hit our faces so hard that it felt like a hurricane--awesome!!!
As this was my first trip to Cedar Point, I must confess that I'm a big fan. Even though we all got soaked and cold, it was definitely worth it. No doubt Nicki and I will find ourselves back there soon.
The trip was particularly fun for the whole Shepherd family as they got to visit Ohio. As the pictures show, they showed their loyalty with plenty of Ohio State gear and making human signs. Enjoy the pictures!
So, going back in time to the Monday before the wedding, we took a trip to Cedar Point Amusement Park. The point of the trip was to de-stress from wedding prep and just have fun. Lucky for us, school was still in session and it was rainy--we got the park almost to ourselves. The only down side was that the fastest roller coaster, the Dragster, was out of commission. That meant we missed out on a 120 mph thrill ride. Despite the downside, we still rode lots of coasters at really fast speeds. One highlight was riding the Millenium Force three times in the rain at 93 mph. Basically, the rain hit our faces so hard that it felt like a hurricane--awesome!!!
As this was my first trip to Cedar Point, I must confess that I'm a big fan. Even though we all got soaked and cold, it was definitely worth it. No doubt Nicki and I will find ourselves back there soon.
The trip was particularly fun for the whole Shepherd family as they got to visit Ohio. As the pictures show, they showed their loyalty with plenty of Ohio State gear and making human signs. Enjoy the pictures!
Sunday, July 11, 2010
Wedding Featured on LDS Bride Blog
Nicki and I just found out that our wedding was featured on the LDS Bride Blog. Our photographer, Emily Heizer, submitted our pictures and it was selected! Nicki provided the details to go along with the pictures. All in all, I think it turned out pretty great. Here's the link: wedding feature.
Enjoy!
Enjoy!
Monday, June 14, 2010
The Best Day Of Our LIves (Part 1)
Hello hello from Reston, Virginia. We just wanted everyone to know that we actually did it. We actually got married and that life is wonderful. We have lots of updates, but we'll start with the most important.
We are truly grateful to all of our family who was able to fly and drive out to DC to be with us. We were able to have all of our siblings there and lots of extended family. We feel truly blessed to have had the help of family and friends.
The festivities really started Thursday night when the majority of the people came in. So as you can guess there was not a lot of sleep. Jessica and Sarah stayed up with me "prepping" and running our own beauty shop plucking, painting nails, etc. And we even had the help of our expert photographer with making our own flower bouquets for the shoot Friday morning.
After getting to bed, two hours later we got up and prepped for Jessica, Emily (photographer) Shirlene (cousin and photographer assistant) and Dustin and I to head downtown to take pictures at the national monuments and Dad and Sarah would join us after seminary.
Despite none of us sleeping and all being exhausted this was absolutely so much fun. We had no stress so we pretty much went to all the sites we wanted and anytime we saw a fun tree or something pretty we'd stop to take some photos. And we were like a walking phenomenon because everywhere we went people honked their horns and shouted "Congrats!". So don't be surprised if you see candids of us on YouTube or facebook from people we've never met before. Many people took pictures of us and even the tour buses announced that there was a bride and groom as they drove past and people took pictures of us as they drove by. I guess we're just that cute!!
Then dad, Sarah and Jessica went home while Shirlene, Emily, Dustin and I trucked it to the Temple to get a few more pictures. By the time we got here we were done. So we got a few shots, the lighting was really bad because it was noon and the sun was HOT. And then we headed home. Then some more errands and we were able to have a fabulous Bar-B-Que at the Shepherd home with everyone. We even brought out the zip line and of course everyone LOVED mom's fruit tarts. It was nice to have everyone help. After we all set up, worked on flowers, went to set up the church for the luncheon, etc.
We hope you enjoyed this first installment. Below are pictures from our Friday photo shoot. The one with the police officer is him checking our permit. We are SO glad we got a permit and that Emily found out we needed one in the first place!! Shirlene was a perfect assistant and always had it ready. All photos are courtesy of Emily Heizer Photography: www.eheizerphotography.com
We are truly grateful to all of our family who was able to fly and drive out to DC to be with us. We were able to have all of our siblings there and lots of extended family. We feel truly blessed to have had the help of family and friends.
The festivities really started Thursday night when the majority of the people came in. So as you can guess there was not a lot of sleep. Jessica and Sarah stayed up with me "prepping" and running our own beauty shop plucking, painting nails, etc. And we even had the help of our expert photographer with making our own flower bouquets for the shoot Friday morning.
After getting to bed, two hours later we got up and prepped for Jessica, Emily (photographer) Shirlene (cousin and photographer assistant) and Dustin and I to head downtown to take pictures at the national monuments and Dad and Sarah would join us after seminary.
Despite none of us sleeping and all being exhausted this was absolutely so much fun. We had no stress so we pretty much went to all the sites we wanted and anytime we saw a fun tree or something pretty we'd stop to take some photos. And we were like a walking phenomenon because everywhere we went people honked their horns and shouted "Congrats!". So don't be surprised if you see candids of us on YouTube or facebook from people we've never met before. Many people took pictures of us and even the tour buses announced that there was a bride and groom as they drove past and people took pictures of us as they drove by. I guess we're just that cute!!
Then dad, Sarah and Jessica went home while Shirlene, Emily, Dustin and I trucked it to the Temple to get a few more pictures. By the time we got here we were done. So we got a few shots, the lighting was really bad because it was noon and the sun was HOT. And then we headed home. Then some more errands and we were able to have a fabulous Bar-B-Que at the Shepherd home with everyone. We even brought out the zip line and of course everyone LOVED mom's fruit tarts. It was nice to have everyone help. After we all set up, worked on flowers, went to set up the church for the luncheon, etc.
We hope you enjoyed this first installment. Below are pictures from our Friday photo shoot. The one with the police officer is him checking our permit. We are SO glad we got a permit and that Emily found out we needed one in the first place!! Shirlene was a perfect assistant and always had it ready. All photos are courtesy of Emily Heizer Photography: www.eheizerphotography.com
Tuesday, May 4, 2010
Beginning Our Adventures TOGETHER!!
For Dustin's Birthday we had been planning on going out to Utah for a few days to meet his family and some more of mine and just celebrate with everyone. Luckily it was Easter and General Conference and luckily I also attend a Catholic School who gets a Spring Break and an Easter Break so we were able to go out for about 5 days. One of these years BYU will discover the wonders of Spring Break, not to mention Easter Break!!
We were able to stay that night with my Aunt Phyllis and Uncle Rick and of course they came to love Dustin almost instantly. I mean it isn't hard!! Then we were able to eat Thursday lunch with Dustin's lifetime friend Nathan and his wife Michelle and their two kids. Then we headed down to Provo where my Aunt Linda and Uncle Jerry threw us an Engagement party. It was SO nice! Once again everyone loved Dustin and it was so nice to be able to see family and friends that I haven't seen in so long and meet this wonderful man by my side. Thank you Linda and Jerry and everyone who made the trip to come down and see us!!
Friday was Dustin's Birthday and we were privileged to go to lunch with my mom, sister and her friend with Dustin's parents at Tucanos!!! Yum!!! I've never been there, but I am proud to admit that I'm a carnivore after that experience.
We then went to pick up his sister Melanie and head off to his sister Sharla's house. I was quite nervous because I'd only met his parents before and that was before we were even dating, so I was just trying to stay calm and hope that I would handle it as well as Dustin meeting all my extended family!
I had nothing to worry about!! What an amazing family of course! We were immediately greeted when we pulled up by children running to come see us. The rest of the weekend was spent playing games and watching conference and getting to know everyone. And there were some things that I actually learned about Dustin.
First is that his sister Melanie always finds the greatest gifts.....and that Dustin likes to put things on his head. He didn't want me to put this one up, but it is too funny with Ruby laughing and sticking her hands over her face and Dustin's look at me as I just don't know what to think. Yes I Love that man!! 
Ok so I already knew Dustin Loves to play the piano and sing but it was so nice to hear his family playing and singing and how incredibly talented they are.
Dustin has ADORABLE nieces and nephews who love their Uncle Dustin and want to do whatever he does. Can you blame them??
Dustin had previously told me his love of ice cream, but I learned that this was a whole new level of love. Here is him and his delicious ice cream cake. It looks like I better learn how to make ice cream cakes or develop a special relationship with Dairy Queen.
After we got back from Utah the next weekend we decided to go Downtown to see the Cherry Blossom Festival. Unfortunately the heat killed all the blossoms so it was more of just a Festival then anything else, but we still were able to just walk around the Tidal basin and see the trees and monuments.
Dustin was really hungry!
The Cherry Blossoms were gone but there were still so many flowers in bloom and trees everywhere that it was nice just to walk around and enjoy the green and spring!
Dustin Loves Flowers :)
But most importantly....18 more days!!! Wahoo!! Not that we're totally excited or anything :)
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We were able to stay that night with my Aunt Phyllis and Uncle Rick and of course they came to love Dustin almost instantly. I mean it isn't hard!! Then we were able to eat Thursday lunch with Dustin's lifetime friend Nathan and his wife Michelle and their two kids. Then we headed down to Provo where my Aunt Linda and Uncle Jerry threw us an Engagement party. It was SO nice! Once again everyone loved Dustin and it was so nice to be able to see family and friends that I haven't seen in so long and meet this wonderful man by my side. Thank you Linda and Jerry and everyone who made the trip to come down and see us!!
Friday was Dustin's Birthday and we were privileged to go to lunch with my mom, sister and her friend with Dustin's parents at Tucanos!!! Yum!!! I've never been there, but I am proud to admit that I'm a carnivore after that experience.
We then went to pick up his sister Melanie and head off to his sister Sharla's house. I was quite nervous because I'd only met his parents before and that was before we were even dating, so I was just trying to stay calm and hope that I would handle it as well as Dustin meeting all my extended family!
I had nothing to worry about!! What an amazing family of course! We were immediately greeted when we pulled up by children running to come see us. The rest of the weekend was spent playing games and watching conference and getting to know everyone. And there were some things that I actually learned about Dustin.
First is that his sister Melanie always finds the greatest gifts.....and that Dustin likes to put things on his head. He didn't want me to put this one up, but it is too funny with Ruby laughing and sticking her hands over her face and Dustin's look at me as I just don't know what to think. Yes I Love that man!! 
Ok so I already knew Dustin Loves to play the piano and sing but it was so nice to hear his family playing and singing and how incredibly talented they are.
Dustin has ADORABLE nieces and nephews who love their Uncle Dustin and want to do whatever he does. Can you blame them?? 
Dustin had previously told me his love of ice cream, but I learned that this was a whole new level of love. Here is him and his delicious ice cream cake. It looks like I better learn how to make ice cream cakes or develop a special relationship with Dairy Queen.
After we got back from Utah the next weekend we decided to go Downtown to see the Cherry Blossom Festival. Unfortunately the heat killed all the blossoms so it was more of just a Festival then anything else, but we still were able to just walk around the Tidal basin and see the trees and monuments. 
Dustin was really hungry!
The Cherry Blossoms were gone but there were still so many flowers in bloom and trees everywhere that it was nice just to walk around and enjoy the green and spring!
Dustin Loves Flowers :)But most importantly....18 more days!!! Wahoo!! Not that we're totally excited or anything :)
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