Friday, February 8, 2019

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

19 comments:

  1. So do the birds do it with themselves?
    Those mushrooms sound like tasty little fat balls.

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    1. Read the article Alex, they are not hermaphrodites.

      They do look tasty don't they?

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    2. Bwahahaha, Alex!

      Those mushrooms look tasty!

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  2. Years ago I read a boom about a young man who was thought to be a girl and was raised as such. Genetically he was more male than female. I learned that in about 1 in 100 births there is a sexual anomaly. Nothing is perfect. Which is why I have three kidneys!

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    1. Book. Gee I hate spell correct!

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    2. I saw a documentary about an island, I think, where a lot of their children are born one sex and change as they get older. Can't remember the details now Denise. Useful having 3 kidneys you can be a donor without any problems.

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    3. I’d like to see that documentary! Try and remember Jo!

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    4. Denise, I’ve read about that too, but I had no idea one could have three kidneys! Wow!

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    5. It was on TV Lisa, a long time ago.

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  3. We've seen mottled cardinals that have colors of both, but I don't believe it was a definite division down the middle. I'll have to watch for them now.

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    1. We used to get lots of Cardinals at our feeder in Bogue Sound Diane, but never saw anything out of the ordinary. I believe these birds are quite rare. Used to get lots of birds in our yard. Miss them.

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  4. That was interesting about the cardinal; I did read the article. What a rare sight that couple got to see! Liked the recipe for your stuffed mushrooms. I saw one this morning for spinach and cream cheese in mushroom caps, and now after seeing yours, I'm thinking I'm going to have to make some stuffed mushrooms soon.

    betty

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    1. I was interested Betty. The cardinal is still around by the sound of it. I love stuffed mushrooms, not made them for a while though.

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  5. Replies
    1. I thought so too Pinky. Where've you been lately?

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  6. I have been saving money buying my groceries online. It stops me from impulse shopping. But it's also made my cupboards bare of good stuff.

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    1. I am afraid saving money disappears somehow Liz, I did originally, but seem to spend just as much now. I find I can impulse shop quite well online!!!

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  7. I had no idea about cardinals like that! I’ve heard of other animals like this but not cardinals. Those mushrooms look tasty! Going to read the article now.

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    1. Nor me Lisa, I hope you found the article as interesting as I did.

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