This is a guest post from Marcel who loves taking night photos. All pictures are unedited.

Hawthorne Bridge

Portland Night Skyline

A plane was flying by

Night Portrait

The shutter was open long enough to catch the traffic

We found Furever Pets in Portland’s NE Broadway neighborhood. The coolest, friendliest pet store ever.

Furever Pets

Lots of goodies

Mulder enjoyed taking the "eggs" out of the penguin toy we got for him.

javafoto.com has seen an increase in traffic this year but I have yet to see some evidence in the comments section. The gardening and food posts are the most popular as well as the festivals. For 2010, I plan to write more about these topics but also want to take the blog to the next level. I surprised myself when I learned to cook a lot of complicated recipes. I even got into baking. I’m not sure yet what this next level looks like but I am looking forward to a bigger and better javafoto.com next year.

Here are my favorite posts in 2009:

KishFish – This is what summer is like in Oregon.

Central Oregon Coast – A guest post from my brother Francis who spent the summer with us. The beauty of the Oregon Coast is breathtaking.

Garden Project Update – July 2009 – Our garden was in full swing and looked so beautiful here.

Speedlight and 50mm Lens – The day I re-discovered my camera equipment and significantly improved my photos.

Mt Angel Oktoberfest – We enjoyed this festival with a group of friends and would likely go again.

Wonton Noodle Soup- A taste of Hong Kong made right in my own kitchen.

If there is a post you liked in particular, please mention it in the comments section. You can use the search function on the left side bar to find a post by keyword. Any other suggestions, recommendations, or constructive criticism are welcome. My goal is to make this site more interesting to my audience and hopefully increase my readership.

I would also like to post a shout out to the following bloggers who inspired javafoto in one way or another:

Paperseed – Emily inspired me to start my own blog.

Smitten Kitchen – Deb showed me that baking is easy and taking good photos is not complicated.

Get Rich Slowly – J.D. believes that anyone can be an entrepreneur and that’s what I want to be.

Art of Non-Conformity – Marcel likes this site but more importantly, I totally respect Chris’ insights about life and work.

Posie Gets Cozy – Alicia shows that life is more beautiful with fabric. Someday, I will take the dust cover off my sewing machine and start crafting.

Steamy Kitchen – Simple but flavorful Asian recipes and beyond by Jaden. My source of the Wonton Noodle Soup recipe.

David Lebovitz – A reminder that life is sweeter with chocolate. David is the author of “The Perfect Scoop” where I learned how to make ice cream.

Cosmic Adventure – Life is an adventure. A great one with Marcel and Mulder.

Green Crop Circles – If we all do our part and be wise in our use of resources, we are essentially building a brighter future for generations to come.

Finally, I believe that information is meant to be shared. Somehow when you share, the blessings come right back to you. Thank you to all the bloggers out there who are giving a part of themselves to make the world a better place. To our families and friends, we appreciate your support.

“Give, and it will be given to you. They will pour into your lap a good measure– pressed down, shaken together, and running over. For by your standard of measure it will be measured to you in return.” Luke 6:38

Cheers and Best Wishes for 2010!

-Charlotte with Marcel and Mulder

Christmas Lights in the Snow

Pumpkin Roll

A few years ago, we spent Thanksgiving in Florida where most of Marcel’s family lives. At that time, we just came back from an extended trip to Europe and sorely missed the food. However, as soon as Marcel’s mom whipped up this recipe, we forgot all about the pain au chocolats, the dulce de leches, and the gelatos. I was hooked. That same year, we spent Christmas at my family’s home in Dallas where I introduced this recipe. They loved it too! Soon after, my mom and I went into full production. Every Christmas party we were invited to, we took one with us. Everyone wanted the recipe. Just before we left Dallas, we made 3 more rolls to keep in the freezer for future occasions. Since then, this has become one of our favorite holiday desserts.

Pumpkin Roll
A family recipe

Notes:
1. I reduced the sugar in both the cake and filling from 1 cup to 3/4 cup like I always do. I find that it is sweet enough and even brings out the pumpkin flavor more.
2. Refrigerate for at least an hour before consuming. Even better the next day and you can even freeze it if desired.
3. This is not a secret recipe as google will tell you. Feel free to tailor it (carefully) according to your taste.

Cake:
3 eggs
2/3 cup pumpkin puree
¾ cup sugar
¾ cup flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon cinnamon
½ cup chopped pecans

Filling:
8 ounces cream cheese
2 tablespoon butter
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
¾ cup confectioner’s sugar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F
Cover an 11″ x 15″ jelly roll pan with wax paper. Trim excess wax paper.

Cake:
Beat eggs, pumpkin puree and sugar together. Mix flour, baking soda and cinnamon in another bowl. Add the dry ingredients into the pumpkin mix. Beat until smooth.
Pour the mixture on the prepared pan. Spread over the entire pan using a spatula. Sprinke chopped pecans on top. Bake 12-15 minutes or until done.

Once the cake is done, cover it with a clean tea towel then turn upside down. The cake should now be on the tea towel. Carefully remove the wax paper. Roll the cake with the tea towel in it all the way to the end.

Filling:
Beat all ingredients together. Unroll cooled cake, removing the tea towel. Spread filling evenly on the entire cake. Roll the cake carefully into a log.

Sprinkle with confectioner’s sugar just before serving.

Last weekend, I went to Dallas to visit my family as well as a few of Marcel’s relatives. I had a blast and even found some cute things!  These are actual prices by the way (rounded up). Shopping  is quite a competitive sport in the Big D.

Crystal Earrings from Sam Moon $2

Spring Shirt Banana Republic $14

Cotton Pants from NY&C $8

Crocs $10

In our travels, we have managed to collect 3 beautiful works of art on tiles. This weekend, we finally put them on display in the kitchen. From L to R: Solvang CA, Lisbon and Amsterdam. Lovely…

(Unfortunately, I could not get the macro pictures of the tiles to come out right)