The perfect Sunday starts with a maple doughnut from the country doughnut cart, hot coffee, and a quiet spot to enjoy it all with my guys.

Camping out in the library on an extra hot evening / practicing his standing skills / post-swim with dad

I am always looking for great summer recipes. I get into a cooking rut every summer around this time – when the temperature reaches 90 degrees for days, the lake calls louder than the oven. This year in addition to cold salads, I’ve been on the lookout for simple sandwiches. This one is fantastic: no cooking (grilling optional), and it’s healthy, filling, and flavorful.

Adapted from here.

Smashed Chick Pea & Avocado Salad

1 can or 1-1/2 cups cooked chick peas
1 ripe avocado
1/4 cup (or so) chopped green onion
Small handful of cilantro
Squeeze of fresh lime juice from 1/2 lime
Salt & pepper to taste
Broccoli, bean, or alfalfa sprouts
Unsliced fresh bread or baguette

Serves 3-4 as a main dish

Slice your bread or baguette into think 1″ slices. I would recommend drizzling them with olive oil and toasting them on the grill until the edges are golden brown.

Peel and prepare the avocado by slicing into approx. 1″ cubes. Add the avocado, chick peas, green pepper, cilantro in a food processor or large bowl. If you’re using the food processor, pulse for a few seconds only- it’s best with large chunks, not puréed. If you prefer the manual method, mash all ingredients listed together with a fork or potato masher until combined. Add a squeeze of line juice and season with salt & pepper.

Spread a whole bunch onto your grilled bread, top with sprouts (spinach or arugula would be nice here too) and enjoy!

I loved making these invitations. They were such a fun, challenging, and worthwhile project. I think they came out beautifully!

The invitations, reply cards, info cards, rehearsal dinner invites, and both envelopes were custom designed and lovingly hand-printed on my C + P tabletop press. They are printed in four colors on Crane’s Lettra paper in ecru, with watercolor detail on the main invitation. The program was digitally printed on kraft colored cardstock. Floral illustrations were custom drawn by Erin Lalley Bauer.

The envelopes were finished with calligraphy and vintage stamps, but I forgot to get a snapshot of those. Next time!

If you are interested in ordering some custom letterpress goodness from Erin & I, get in touch! Invitations, business cards, personal stationery, whatever you need- I promise we’re very reasonable! Email us at olivewoodstudios(at)gmail(dot)com

Finally, the wedding. What a beautiful day!

Julia and Jon put together a lovely ceremony that I had the honor to read in. The whole thing was heartfelt, personal, and truly joyful. The crowd read the vows aloud providing a great spirit of community, and it really felt like their wedding. The homemade chuppah was beautiful, and the perfect blue sky and serene Cayuta Lake backdrop were really more than you could ask for.

I didn’t get too many pictures of the ceremony (there was a wonderful photographer taking care of that), and once the reception started I was too busy having a blast to worry about them. It was such a wonderful, spirited, and just beautiful celebration.

For more (and much better) photos, the aforementioned wonderful photographer, Ashley, has put a sneak peek of the wedding on her blog:

http://ashleytheresephotography.com/blog/2012/07/fontainebleau-inn-wedding-julia-jon/

Because they are the nearest and dearest part to my heart (besides the bride & groom of course), I’ve saved the whole last post about the wedding for the invitations and paper goodies. I think you’ll like them.

We spent our Independence Day in Shaftsbury, VT with family; swimming, hiking, collecting wildflowers, and stopping for ice cream on the way home. Lovely.

I hope you all had a joyful and relaxing 4th!

The wedding weekend took place at a beautiful bed & breakfast-style inn called the Fontainebleau. The 1814 inn is just lovely. I only wish I hadn’t been having so much fun so I could’ve taken a few more snapshots! Well, that’s not true.

The innkeepers were very gracious, and the rooms are beautifully appointed. Breakfast was wonderful both mornings (I found myself wishing for a big plate of fresh fruit and freshly baked honey bread on Monday morning). It was quiet, beautiful, and full of subtle historical character. It made the perfect setting for Jon and Julia’s big day.

The kitchen / antique rug beaters on an old brick wall / the library / white and silver mantle / Henry asleep in the comfy inn bed

(part 3 is on its way!)

This past weekend we celebrated the wedding of Julia & Jon. It was a weekend filled with love, joy, excitement, and community, and I’m still smiling from it all. I decided to post about the weekend in parts because one post just isn’t enough. The first part includes photos from my stay at Julia’s parents’ home where I stayed Thursday night to help them prepare for the wedding.

Julia grew up just down the road from me in our hometown, and I’ve always loved their home. I always feel so welcomed and at ease there with her family. It was so nice to be there to help out with wedding preparation, catch up with everyone, and enjoy the family dinner and foggy morning light.

Part 2 coming soon!

Every year in June, Caito throws a party at her parent’s tiny lakehouse in Friendsville, PA. It started with just us and a couple of other friends almost 15 years ago in junior high, and now there’s usually a dozen people or more that get together every year. For the past 5 years or so each party has had a theme- a different year in history. It started with 1996 and this year we took it back to ’66. Everyone dresses up and Cait spends months putting together several hours of historically accurate, awesome music. We barbecue, swim, boat, catch up, have a few beers, and enjoy the sunshine. Everyone crashes there, and in the morning we all go to the Skylark Diner in town for breakfast.

The house, always called the cottage, probably hasn’t changed since they initially decorated in the ’70s. It is perfectly cluttered and old and sweet, and I love visiting every year. There were no changes made or special decorations put up (besides a few paper lanterns in the trees), this is just the cottage as it always has been. I hope it never changes.