Hey Daryl. I'd recommend using this for your database.rb:
config_file = Padrino.root("config", "mongoid.yml")
if File.exists?(config_file)
settings = YAML.load(ERB.new(File.read(config_file)).result)[Padrino.env.to_s]
::Mongoid.from_hash(settings) if settings.present?
end