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Several months ago my lovely friend (and co-blogger) Kristen generously offered to take maternity pics later in the summer once my bump became photo worthy. Last weekend we all agreed the time had arrived and despite the steamy hot forecast, we dressed in coordinating outfits and headed for the farmer’s market for our little photo shoot.
We totally underestimated the intensity of the heat. I believe the feels-like temp was 109. And my little Half Pint wasn’t about to smile for anyone. No way. No how.
Kristen was able capture some precious candids.
And some pretty hilarious bloopers.
I love everything about these two girls, but as this picture shows, they are so very different. Pickle Pants is my smiley, silly, gregarious-as-can-be girl. Half Pint is a little more pensive and serious, but she gives the best hugs in the world!
Moods were declining rapidly, we were all sweating like summer hogs glowing with perspiration and the adults had wisely given up on the hope of getting a perfect family photo. So we retreated to The Annex, an indoor and VERY air-conditioned section of the market to give the girls, and ourselves, a much needed break.
The girls found coloring books.
And a gift from our friend and neighbor, Valeria, from Stillwaters Farm of miniature birds nest cupcakes filled with lemon cheesecake and blueberry butter (YUM!).
For me the day was not an entire bust. We managed a few more sweet pictures of Pickle Pants. AND before we left, Jason ran back into the market to buy 3 dozen ears of beautiful Peaches and Cream corn.
The plan was to blanch them, remove the kernels and put them in the deep freeze. But then I remembered a little something my dad and I whipped up years ago, a fresh and tasty maque choux, and I knew at least some of these ears wouldn’t make it to -10F.
So, what is maque choux (gesundheit!)? Well, as far as pronunciation goes, it kinda rhymes with “achoo!” The dish has both American Indian and Creole roots, hence the simple agrarian ingredients and very French sounding name. It typically contains corn, bell pepper and onion with variations of additional ingredients. This is our father/daughter version.
First gather up your ingredients. Six ears of corn, one bell pepper (color of your choice), one or two jalapenos, one yellow onion, three slices of thick-cut bacon, ½ cup of heavy cream, a teaspoon of salt and 2 teaspoons of Creole seasoning.
Chop your bacon up into bite-sized pieces and begin to brown it in a skillet over medium-high heat.
Meanwhile, remove the kernels from the cob. A knife works fine, but I love this little Pampered Chef Corn Kernel Cutter
Dice up the remaining veggies and toss them in with your corn. Make sure you don’t burn that bacon!
Once the bacon is slightly crispy, remove it and let it drain on a paper towel, leaving 1-2T of bacon grease in the pan.
Add all of the vegetables, salt and Creole seasoning to the skillet and sauté over medium heat for 10 minutes.
Add the heavy cream and crispy bacon and continue cooking for another 2 minutes.
Mmm, tastes just like summer! There’s a lovely smokiness from the bacon, bright sweetness from the corn and bell pepper, and just a hint of heat from the jalapeno and seasoning, all swimming in a luscious bath of heavy cream. I could easily sit down and make a meal out of it, but it’s a nice accompaniment to any summer dish. I hope you enjoy it as much as we did!
- 4 cups fresh corn (about 6 ears)
- 1 yellow or white onion, chopped
- 1 bell pepper, chopped
- 1-2 jalapeno peppers, finely chopped
- 3 slices thick cut bacon, chopped
- 2 teaspoons Creole seasoning
- 1 teaspoon salt, or to taste
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- Place chopped bacon in a medium skillet over medium-high heat. While the bacon is cooking, remove the kernels from the ears of corn and chop up the remaining vegetables.
- Once the bacon is brown and slightly crispy, remove from pan and let rest on a paper towel to drain, while leaving 1-2 T of bacon drippings in the pan.
- Add vegetables and Creole seasoning to the skillet and sauté over medium-high heat for 10 minutes. Add heavy cream and cooked bacon and continue cooking for another 2 minutes.
- Serve and enjoy!
If I have some leftover corn on the cob (already cooked) from dinner last week, do you think I could cut it off and use it or does it need to be raw?
Absolutely! The cooked corn won’t have quite the same crispness that the fresh would have, but you will still end up with a very yummy dish! I would say the same goes for frozen corn. Let me know how it turns out! ~Ashley
I made it! It was delicious!! An AMAZING way to use leftover corn on the cob!
So glad you enjoyed it!!