This past weekend, we had special visitors. My cousin Debbie and her family stopped over with us in Maine on their way to Acadia (one of my favorite places). We don’t get many visitors from my side of the family, so it was a big event. We’ll get to see them again next weekend went they stop overnight again on their way home.

The weather was especially nice. It was clear and sunny, but with a touch of crisp autumnal air. It’s the first time we slept with the windows closed and the fan off since early June! We spent plenty of time following our usual weekend pursuit of sitting on the dock, reading (me) or napping (Howard), walking, and paddling.

We discovered a new guacamole recipe that seems to be a winner. I am almost embarrassed to admit that, when we made it last weekend, after consuming the entire bowl, we decided that we should skip dinner. We made it again this weekend, to bring over to Laury and John’s when we went for dinner Sunday night.

The corn adds a nice surprise flavor burst. The sour cream really mellows out the color and, even though it vanished fast, the sour cream seemed to prevent the avocado from discoloring. The chipotle adds slight heat, but wasn’t overly spicy. It was a hit!

Guacamole with Fresh Corn and Chipotle
From my Bon Appetit 2010 Fast and Easy calendar

1 or 2 ripe avocados, halved, peeled, and pitted
½ – 1 Tbsp lime juice
Kernels cut from 1 ear cooked corn
1 tomato, diced into ¼ inch pieces
2 scallions, sliced thin or ¼ cup diced red onion
1 canned chipotle chile, chopped fine
2 Tbsp – ¼ cup sour cream

Using a fork, mash the avocado with the lime juice. Add corn kernels, diced tomato, and scallions. Combine the chopped chipotle with the sour cream until well-blended. Stir the sour cream into the avocado mixture. Season to taste. Serve with tortilla chips (preferably unsalted).

(Note: Use the lower amounts if you only have one avocado, the higher amounts if you have two. It worked well both ways.)