Gilbert Family Photographer- Don't miss our upcoming events!!

You'd better not pout, you better not cry, you better not fight, I'm telling you why... Portraits by Christina's holiday specials are coming to town!  The holidays will soon be here, and we've got some fantastic events, specials, and exclusive sessions in store for you!

Cyber Monday Sale-
Our CYBER MONDAY Sale is Monday, November 29, 2010!  Purchase $100 gift certificates for only $75 each!  Order by phone at 480-857-8349 or email at christina@portraitsbychristina.net any time Monday, November 29! There are no limits per person, so stock up and get ready to check those names off your shopping list!

Honey I Want Promotion-
We make it easy for you to let your honey know what will ring your bell this holiday season!  Take the guesswork out of the equation with this fabulous sale! Through September 30th, mention this special, and receive 10% off the purchase of any portraits or photo accessories.  Use an existing portrait session or call to set up a new one.

Updated Wedding Pricing-
We have updated our wedding pricing and there are new products and convenient packages to choose from!  Your wedding day won't be complete without our professional photographers there to capture every smile, every tear, every time!

Birthday Special-
September Boys and Girls:  You don't have to use that birthday wish on a perfect portrait session, because we've got you covered!  Throughout September, enjoy a complimentary portrait session and 8 keepsake wallet-size photos to share with family and friends!

Senior Portrait Special-
Attention High School Seniors!  Now is the time to get a head start on your Senior portraits!  Schedule a portrait session within the month January and receive 16 wallet sized prints for FREE!  The sooner you get the perfect Senior portrait, the sooner you can kick back and enjoy your Senior Year!

Spicy Shrimp Recipe

I love to cook different types of food.  I recently had my niece and Justin's (my son) girlfriend over and we cooked chinese food.  I had taken a chinese cooking class some 25 years ago and found the recipes.  I remember how good some of the recipes were and wanted to share the recipes with them.  It seriously took us over 4 hours to prepare, cook and serve the food.  We were exhausted by the end of the evening!  Here is one of dishes we fixed, very yummy!!

ingredients:
1 lb. medium shelled shrimp
Mixture 1:   1/3 tsp. salt, 1/2 tbls. rice wine, 1 tbls. cornstarch, 1 tbls. water
oil for deep-frying
2 egg yolks
cornstarch for coating
Mixture 2:  1 Tbl. chopped garlic, 2 Tbl. chopped green onion, 1 tsp. chopped ginger root, 1 Tbls. hot chili paste
Mixture 3:  2 Tbls. catsup, 1/2 tsp. salt, 1 Tbls vinegar, 1 tbls. sugar, 1 tsp. cornstarch, 4 tbls. water, 1/2 tsp. sesame oil

1.  Devein shrimp.  Mix with a little salt, rinse lightly.  Drain and pat dry with paper towels. Mix with mixture 1.  Marinate al least 1 hour.  Keep in refrigerator.  Before cooking, add egg yolks and mix well, then coat with cornstarch.
2.  Heat pan over high heat, add oil and heat to hot, deep-fry shrimp for about 2 minutes until golden colored.  Remove and drain. Pour off all but 2 Tbls. oil from pan.
3.  Reheat oil to hot, stir-fry mixture 2 ingredients for a few seconds until fragrant, pour in ready combined mixture #3 to the pan, bring to boil.  Add shrimp, stir-fry until shrimp is coated with sauce.

Remove to platter and serve.  Makes 6 servings..

Gilbert Family Photographer - San Jose, CA

While we were in Northern California, which is where we are from, we were able to see family.  I had taken my cousin Patrick's family picture a few years ago in San Francisco, this time around we were able to take their picture in San Jose.  Patrick and Marvi haven't changed but Paulina has grown up to be a beautiful young teen.  Here are some of the pictures from that session.

Give a Gift Certificate for a friend and you receive a gift certificate!

Isn't fun to give a gift to someone special?  Portraits by Christina thinks so, and when you buy a friend a $100 gift certificate, we'll give you a $50 gift certificate for yourself.  The next time you need a gift for a special occasion like a baby shower, engagement gift, or just a you're-special gift, consider purchasing a $100 Portraits by Christina gift certificate, and we'll give you a $50 gift certificate for yourself. We appreciate your good will in purchasing a certificate for a friend to introduce them to our studio and the $50 receive certificate is our way of saying thank you.

Gilbert Photographer - Fine Art

Here is a fine art image I photographed while I was in Northern California in my mom's backyard.