Oh Wednesday...

So today was a pretty great day. Not so much by how much was accomplished, but because I just feel like it has been a great day.

TJ & I met with Mrs. Hardiman to talk about the class trip to Ireland. Did you know we are going to Ireland in May for the CSCL Senior Class trip? We are going as chaperones and couldn't be more excited! The idea just sort of came about while we were spending the day with the Senior class for their class portrait day. It was then approved by the Principle at the school, and voila! TJ actually spent a year in Ireland during college, studying archeology and castles. So, needless to say, the kids flipped out about that and definitely wanted us on board (not to mention the free photography, lol). We have 6 months to help the kids raise as much money as they can through different fundraisers, and get them as excited as possible (yeah right, like that element isn't there already. ha). If you happen to think about the CSCL Seniors, please pray over the provisions and guidance of the trip! Thanks. :-)

After our meeting about Ireland, we went and did a few errands. But, what is an errand day without a thrift shop stop? We stopped at my favorite thrift shop around, Value Village. It is to the point that I wave at the staff while walking in because they recognize me. I love it. I found a few goodies that I am really excited about. (Let's just say that there may be a vintage giveaway coming up soon!!) I think I will post some photos of items I have found in the past at Value Village for myself. You will love them. Stay tuned.

We actually had an engagement shoot that we rescheduled today due to the rain. I am really excited about the location of the shoot, it's going to be beautiful.

Sooooo, what did I do when I got home from errands on this rainy afternoon? I put on Charlie and the Chocolate Factory dvd and took a nap throughout the movie. I know I sound super lazy, but you have to understand that we edit photos at all hours of the day. We wake up and edit, and edit until the late night hours. It's just the way it is. I just got up about an hour ago as TJ was leaving to go play music at The Well with his buddy Jason. I now feel refreshed and ready to start editing a family shoot we did over the weekend. But first I must put some Orange Chicken in the oven (yes I do mean the Trader Joe's Orange Chicken) and possibly watch an episode of one of my shows from last night. :-)

Let me leave you with the a class photo of the group we will be taking to Ireland. Talk about a great group of kids with so much life and creative talents!

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Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls

I'm sure you are ready to finally see photos of these rolls that I keep talking about AND get the recipe. :-) I actually finished baking them earlier today, but i wanted to wait until closer to dinner before I actually frosted some and photographed them. Half of them are now in my freezer for a yummy breakfast or dessert in the near future. With only two of us in our household, 13 Cinnamon Rolls would go bad before we ate them all. The other half are WAITING to be devoured by TJ and me.

TJ and Zoe, while I was baking. LoL (He is wearing Zoe's hat from the Halloween Costume we got her last year)

The Cinnamon Rolls taste delicious! I prefer lightly drizzled frosting on them, but you can certainly glob more on there. It is actually a cream cheese frosting, which I need to perfect as far as the texture goes. it tastes great, it's just not as smooth as I wanted it to be.

Here is the recipe link where I snagged the recipe. Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls I tweaked a few things, so I am going to post what I did below.

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup warm water (100 degrees F/38 degrees C)
• 1 (.25 ounce) package active dry yeast I used Rapid Rise
• 1 (5 ounce) can evaporated milk
• 3/4 cup white sugar
• 1 (15 ounce) can pumpkin
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 egg, beaten
• 2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice I used 1 tsp Cinn, 1/4 tsp Ginger, 1/4 tsp Cloves
• 5 cups all-purpose flour, or more if needed
• 1/4 cup melted butter
• 1 1/4 cups brown sugar, packed
• 2 tablespoons pumpkin pie spice I used only cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 (3 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
• 2 tablespoons butter, melted
• 1 cup confectioners' sugar
• 1/4 cup milk
• For the frosting, I just cut it in half because I did not want to frost them all at once.

Directions

1. Pour the warm water into a large mixing bowl, and sprinkle yeast over the water. Allow to stand until the yeast begins to form a creamy foam, 5 to 10 minutes. Stir in evaporated milk, white sugar, pumpkin, olive oil, and egg. Mix until thoroughly combined. Mix in 2 teaspoons of pumpkin pie spice, then add about 5 cups of flour, or as needed to make a stiff dough. Turn the dough out onto a floured work surface, and knead until smooth and elastic, about 8 minutes. Dough will be slightly sticky. Form the dough into a ball, place into an oiled bowl, cover with a cloth, and let rise in a warm place for about 45 minutes. (The dough will rise, but it won't double.)
2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease a 9x13-inch baking dish.
3. Punch down the dough, and roll it out to a rectangle shape on a floured work surface until it measures about 18 inches wide and 26 inches long. Brush the dough with 1/4 cup melted butter. Mix the brown sugar with 2 tablespoons of pumpkin pie spice in a small bowl, and sprinkle the mixture evenly over the dough. Roll up the dough the long way, and pinch the seam closed, then cut the dough into 12 equal-sized pieces with a sharp knife. Lay the rolls into the prepared baking dish.
4. Bake in the preheated oven until lightly golden brown, 30 to 40 minutes.
5. While the rolls are baking, mix vanilla extract, cream cheese, 2 tablespoons of melted butter, confectioners' sugar, and milk together to make a glaze. Spread the glaze over the rolls as soon as they come out of the oven.

I let the rolls rise one more time for 30 minutes once they were prepared and in the pan.

So, this is definitely going to be a new Fall tradition in our household. Something to look forward to. What are some of your favorite traditions? I'd love to hear from you.

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I want to start traditions.

Traditions. They are passed down from generation to generation. I have recipes, decorations, and songs that I now hold dear because they were expressed to me while growing up (most vividly are the holiday traditions). I love doing something that I know other family members and close friends are doing. It is what makes distance grow shorter and family alive in our hearts.

Lately I have been thinking about what kind of traditions (aside from the ones passed down to me) I can pass down to my kids and grandkids. I'm sure there will be things that I don't even think are traditions that will be passed down, but I want to create some too. So, today is my first day in finding something to recreate every year. At this very moment, I am baking Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls. I randomly had a craving for it the other day, so I looked up a recipe. I have tweaked it a bit to my own liking. But, the real test will be when I taste them this afternoon. Will it be all I hoped for in a Pumpkin Cinnamon Roll? Will it be worth passing it to my kids and grandkids and sharing it with others? We will soon find out. :-)

My Grandma was the "Grandmother" of traditions. What a great woman!

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I'm living my dream job...

My husband, TJ, and I own a photography business, in Charlotte, NC, called Charlotte Photography. It was always my dream to be a photographer, and better yet, work along side my husband. I was blessed, indeed.

People ask how long I have been taking pictures, and it gets harder and harder to give them an answer. It has become so much apart of me, and I hardly remember NOT taking photos. I really jumped head first into it when I was 15. My grandfather was an excellent photographer and had so much gear, as well as a dark room. I started toying around with one of his manual Nikon cameras and never set it down. From there I began taking local classes at the college and it went from there. I never knew I would actually do it for a living and have so much fun.

Aside from photographing families, events, and weddings, my hobby has been cooking and taking photos of my creations. I love locking myself in the kitchen and seeing what kind of creativity comes out of it. An inspiration of mine for food photography is Once Upon a Plate. It is such a beautiful blog, full of recipes and photos that will make you drool. I have since begun communicating Mari, the creative eye behind Once Upon a Plate, and have had so much fun writing back and forth on facebook. Honing in on certain areas of photography has opened a whole new world for me and I am having so much fun.

While I am on the subject of photography, let me spread the word about a contest that Charlotte Photography is having for all our clients over the past two years. On Charlotte Photography's facebook fan page, there is a gallery entitled "Client Contest 2009/2010". In the gallery we have posted a photo from each of our client sessions and whoever gets the most comments at the end of two weeks will win a photo session for the 2011 year. To be a qualifying voter, you must "Like" Charlotte Photography and then comment on a photo in the contest gallery. It has been very exciting to see the comments pouring in after only 1 day. We have had so much fun with our clients and wanted to say Thank You for hiring us year after year. We have photographed so many wonderful couples & families that we now call friends.

In closing, let me post a couple photos from last nights Fall Festival. TJ and I had a photo booth and printed out photos on the spot for the kids and families. This was our second year doing this and we had so much fun. I think a tradition was definitely started. :-)

Me & my little furry girl, Zoe.

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Read all past posts here..

Remember, all my previous Yellow Pepper posts are still at www.theyellowpepper.tumblr.com

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Oh Snap, time is flying by...

Here we are on the first day of November. How did the year go by so fast? Oh snap, that’s what happens when you get older. Time is flying by at lightning speed and I’m only 27. Will I be 50 tomorrow and feeling like I was 27 yesterday??

We have been in wedding season this Fall and it makes me think back to our wedding more than normal. I feel like TJ and I just celebrated our wedding and journeyed off to Maui, and yet I feel like we have been married forever. So much has happened for us this year with our photography business and life. I can’t thank the Lord enough for providing me with a Husband, best friend, and business partner. We work so well together.

I have gotten the question a few times this week about how our first year of marriage has been. My answer: so great and fun. Yes there were adjustments and frustrations, but I had those before marriage and they will still come. But we didn’t have what the world like to call “a hard first year”. I remember my parents always saying their first year was great, and I’m blessed to say the same. I think it’s a mindset and choosing not to get hung up on stuff that doesn’t matter in the long run. We both let each other know of things we don’t necessarily like (I.e, like me accidentally leaving a wet towel on the bed. Lol) and we try are hardest not to do it anymore. Sometimes it’s those little things that will cause the most difficulty. I have to say that I laugh and have so much fun with TJ and that outweighs any frustration.

Thank you, Lord for giving me such a wonderful family and true friends. Time may be flying by, but at least we are all growing old together.

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I feel like a kid again

Last weekend, TJ and I drove to Florida for his cousin Catherine's wedding. I was so excited to get to see our nephew, Nicholas. Believe it or not, it had been since December since we saw the cutie pie, and did he ever change! He was not a baby anymore, but total big boy. It was great. One of the mornings we were there, we did a Disney Character Breakfast at the Vero Beach Disney Resort. I felt like a kid again as I was sooooo excited to have breakfast and see characters! We were able to get ourphotos with Goofy and Donald Duck...how fun! Nicholas is almost 2 years old, and it was great to see his face light up when seeing them. Everything is so new and interesting at that age. After the breakfast we headed out to the water park at the resort. Nicholas absolutely LOVED the water and couldn't get enough of it.

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The Yellow Pepper has a new home!

Setting up a blog can be one of the most frustrating things. I know I have been posting to my Yellow Pepper blog from tumblr for the past few months, but I felt I was missing out on great opportunities to really promote some of the other amazing blogs out there that inspire me. I wanted to have some of the extra add ons to my blog that I hadn't had before. So, I have picked up here at blogger and will stay here! However, my tumblr blog is not lost, and you may still visit the old posts for any recipes. www.theyellowpepper.tumblr.com

I have so many great ideas and recipes that I want to share with you over the next week. I'm really excited about a pumpkin cinnamon roll recipe that I will be attempting this weekend. I think it's time for me to start some Petrino family traditions. :-) So, we shall see what happens.

Please begin to follow The Yellow Pepper and I too will follow you. I look forward to sharing ideas and being inspired by yours. I will also start some giveaways in the near future. You know you don't want to miss out on that.

Let me leave you with this amazing photo of my grandmother. I absolutely love it!

Making Spanish Rice with Papa

Last Tuesday, Alisha, Gwen, and I went to the Brinkley’s house to learn how to make “real and authentic” Spanish Rice from Alisha’s Papa. It was so much fun! He actually started out by teaching us how to make good white rice. Man, the tips he shared made all the difference. After that he began teaching us to make spanish rice. It was really funny because he has made this SOOO many times that he doesnt need to measure anything out….whereas us girls were needing to figure out the measurements so we could make it right. LoL. He was so cute and was trying to help us figure out how many teaspoons of each ingredient should be put in. Below are some fun photos of the day. Definitely looking forward to another cooking day where Papa teaches us how to make the key ingredient to Spanish Rice, Sofrito!

Thank You, Papa, for sharing your recipe with us and for giving us a fun-filled afternoon!

Matthew's Coconut Curry Chicken

For the past week I have been getting so many amazing recipes posted to the Yellow Pepper facebook page. It has been so much fun to see what kind of yummy goodness people post and also having a great go to place for recipes. I decided I was going to start making what friends were posting, so I decided to try Matthew's Coconut Curry Chicken. Well, it was so yummy that I actually made it twice in one week. The second time I made it for the Brinkley's and I got such a nice note from Justina about how good it was. " My face is melting cause this chicken is so good ". Ironically Matthew and his family came into town that same day and we met up later on for dinner. I was able to give him a double thumbs up for the great recipe, as well as I gave him the promised Charlotte Photography print.

Here is the recipe. The only thing I did the second time that I didn't do the first was eliminate the red pepper and carrot. I think I preferred it without. But, do your own experiment and let me know how it goes. I would love to have feedback.

Ingredients

2 T vegetable oil

2 t chopped garlic

2 T curry powder

3 Boneless, skinless chicken breast halves cut into bite sized pieces

1 Large Red Pepper

1/2 Cup Carrot, grated.

1/3 cup brown sugar

1 t garlic salt

1 can unsweetened coconut milk (13.5-14 ounces)

1/3 cup chicken stock

Jasmine Rice

Directions

In a large skillet over medium heat, combine oil, garlic, and curry powder. Cook for 30-60 seconds, just long enough for the garlic to get infused into the oil and curry mixture.

Add the chicken, and cook for 10 minutes, or until juices run clear. Add the red pepper, carrot, brown sugar and garlic salt to the chicken and mix in. Add the coconut milk and chicken stock.

Reduce heat to low and cook for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.

While it is cooking prepare the rice according to the instructions on the package.

Bon Appetit!

Homemade Naan

I know it has been a few weeks since I made the naan. So it's about time I post pics and the recipe. It was GREAT! I used my kitchen aid mixer to make the dough and then let it rise all afternoon. TJ helped me roll them out and cook them. Unfortunately I don't have photos of the dinner - but we had over friends to have an Indian Cuisine that night. I believe the Naan was a hit! :-)

Ingredients

• 1 (.25 ounce) package active dry yeast
• 1 cup warm water
• 1/4 cup white sugar
• 3 tablespoons milk
• 1 egg, beaten
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 4 1/2 cups bread flour
• 2 teaspoons minced garlic (optional)
• 1/4 cup butter, melted

Directions

1. In a large bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water. Let stand about 10 minutes, until frothy. Stir in sugar, milk, egg, salt, and enough flour to make a soft dough. Knead for 6 to 8 minutes on a lightly floured surface, or until smooth. Place dough in a well oiled bowl, cover with a damp cloth, and set aside to rise. Let it rise 1 hour, until the dough has doubled in volume. (It took a lot longer than an house to rise for me - I just waited until it doubled in size)
2. Punch down dough, and knead in garlic. Pinch off small handfuls of dough about the size of a golf ball. Roll into balls, and place on a tray. Cover with a towel, and allow to rise until doubled in size, about 30 minutes. (again, it took probably another hour for the balls to rise)
3. During the second rising, preheat grill to high heat. (Now, it said grill - but I actually used a skillet and coated the pan with oil - worked great. We also tried it in the oven as well)
4. At grill side, roll one ball of dough out into a thin circle. Lightly oil grill. Place dough on grill, and cook for 2 to 3 minutes, or until puffy and lightly browned. Brush uncooked side with butter, and turn over. Brush cooked side with butter, and cook until browned, another 2 to 4 minutes. Remove from grill, and continue the process until all the naan has been prepared.

Breakfast for Dinner

I know, I know, it has been entirely too long since I have updated my blog. TJ and I have been busy getting a lot of things in order for Charlotte Photography & lots of photo shoots. So, basically, since life isn't going to slow down much anytime soon, I just need to schedule in blogging time. Believe it or not this is my second blog post tonight - check out my first one at Charlotte Photography's blog. I added some teaser photos from Jason & Kate's wedding.

Alrighty, so the photos below are of dinner the other night. You know those days where you absolutely do not feel like cooking a huge meal? Yeah, I know them well. On those days, breakfast is one of the best foods to make...and it's so quick. While I was cooking the eggs and french toast, I had the urge to make the table look pretty. Most of the time TJ and I always eat dinner at our coffee table - sad huh? lol. I decided to get out some of my favorite plates and bowls and make it look fun. Most of all the dishes I purchased from Value Village.