Gynandromorph Cardinals, Shopping, Fish

I came across this National Geographic article about male/female cardinals. Rare but not unheard of.apparently. Interesting article.

Don't you just love that word, gynandromorph? Not a word I had ever heard before. Gotta make a note of it. I do that with new words. Turns out that they are genuinely half male and half female and the sexes can be either side. Do read the article, it really is interesting.

A shopping day today, picked up groceries then went to Victoria St. Market and picked up my smoked haddock and Italian sausages. I also weakened and bought a fillet of Arctic Char. My favourite fish I think, also a very expensive fish. Thought it would be a treat for us. Just got to make a decision how to cook it. Come across some complicated recipes but I want something simple, I like the taste of Arctic Char and don't want to disguise it. Also picked up a bag of Kettle Chips made at the asparagus farm, often thought about trying them. They were good, but the chips were quite thick compared with Frito Lay's or someone. Don't think I will buy them again.  I might say Victoria St. Market is a very dangerous place to go. They sell all kinds of gooooood stuff.  I could spend a fortune at their meat and fish depts. let alone anywhere else.

I always look out for Mushrooms Canada recipes and this is their latest. I could eat these.

Cheesy Taco Stuffed Mushrooms
Recipe developed in partnership with  Bake. Eat. Repeat.
Prep Time: 30 mins. | Cook Time: 25 mins. | Makes: 20-25 stuffed mushrooms

Ingredients

• 20-25 button mushrooms (medium size)
• ½ small onion (about 1 cup), finely chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 cup finely chopped red pepper
• 1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and finely chopped
• 1 teaspoon chili powder
• ½ teaspoon cumin
  ½ teaspoon coriander
• salt and pepper to taste
• 6 ounces (188g, ¾ of a package) cream cheese, softened
• 1 egg yolk, lightly beaten
• 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese, divided
• 1 cup black beans, rinsed
• 1 cup corn kernels (thawed if frozen)

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with a silpat mat or parchment paper and set aside.


2. Wash the mushrooms and pop out the stems. Chop the stems finely. In a large non-stick frying pan over medium heat, saute the onions until softened. Add the garlic, the chopped mushroom stems, red pepper, jalapeno pepper, chili powder, cumin, coriander and salt and pepper. Continue to saute for 3-4 minutes until the onions have browned and the mushrooms have released their liquid.


3. In a large bowl, mix together the cream cheese and the egg yolk until well combined. Stir in ½ cup of the shredded cheddar cheese. Add the onion mixture, the black beans and the corn and stir well. If the mixture is really soft, place the bowl in the fridge for 5-10 minutes to allow it to firm up before filling the mushrooms.


4. Scoop the filling into the mushroom caps and place them on the baking sheet. Fill them up as full as you can, heaping it up on top to use up all the filling. Sprinkle the remaining ½ cup of shredded cheddar cheese on top of the stuffed mushrooms


5. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until the cheese is bubbling and the filling is hot. Let them cool slightly before eating. The mushrooms can be prepared a day in advance and kept in the refrigerator until baking. Or you can prepare them and then freeze them before thawing and baking. Or bake and then freeze to reheat them later.

Have a great day