Nicaraguan Fish Salsa

5 filets tilapia

Large bag cooked shrimp (a shrimp tray would work or defrosted from frozen would work too)

Green bell pepper

Onion

Bunch of Cilantro

12 limes

salt & pepper

1.  Bake the tilapia filets as specified and then cook 2 more minutes.  Let them cool completely and cut into squares about half the size of a dice. 

2.  Cut the shrimp into same sized pieces.  Throw into a bowl with cooled tilapia.  Cut pepper and onion into really small pieces and add in bowl. 

3.  Use a scissors to cut up a bunch of cilantro - by bunch I mean the whole bunch you get.  This will add flavor

4.  Juice the limes over everything and add some salt and pepper.  The lady said the lime juice should JUST cover everything but they shouldn't be swimming in it. 

5.  Allow to marinate overnight then taste and adjust seasonings.

BACON TOFFEE

Its toffee.  Its bacon.  Its like the perfect marriage.

1 lb bacon
2 1/3 c sugar
1 lb unsalted butter
1/4 c water
1/4 c corn syrup
1 t vanilla extract

Cut bacon into very thin strips and fry until crisp and brown.  Drain grease and place on paper towels to get rid of excess grease.

THEN (do not do bacon simultaneously with next step.)

Put stove on medium high and add the next ingredients to a heavy bottomed stock pot.  Make sure you put a CANDY THERMOMETER on the side of the pan.

Allow candy to come to a boil, stirring frequently.  When the mixture comes to 300 degrees, take the thermometer off, turn heat off, stir in the bacon and immediately pour the mixture onto a PARCHMENT PAPER LINED BAKING SHEET.  Let cool completely before breaking up and storing.

Easy enough but you must follow the steps exactly; and do not walk away from a boiling pan of sugar because if it goes too much over 300 it will spill over or burn the toffee.  AKA not a recipe to try if you have any distractions in a 20 minute time period.

Mom's Chili

2 lbs. Ground Beef
2 Lg. Onions
3-4 Celery Stalks
1 Tbsp. Salt
1 Tbsp. Pepper
1 Tbsp. Chli Powder
1 Lg. can Tomato Soup (OR 2 - 10 3/4 oz. cans)
3 Qts. Tomato Juice (OR use whole canned tomatoes; *OR almost 1 1/2 qt. 14 oz. cans juice + 1 lg. can diced tomatoes)
Brown Sugar

1. Brown meat, onions, and celery.  **Mom does this by adding them in whole, and simply slicing into the tops of the onions; this is for getting flavor w/o having diced onions/celery in the soup.
2. Add spices and tomatoes, etc.
3. Simmer 2-3 hours.
4. Last 1/2  hour, add brown sugar to suit taste (probably 1/3 - 2/3 cups).

*This is what I (Marya) do.

Marya's Chicken (Noodle) Soup

1. In olive oil, stir around the following on medium for about 5 minutes: 
• 3 large carrots, diced small
• 3 celery stalks, diced small
• 1 tsp. or more minced garlic
• 1/2 cup minced onion
2.  Combine the sauteed veggies with 6 cups chicken broth (I use bouillon cubes and it is good).
3. Also add, and then simmer for 15 minutes: 
• 1/4 tsp. marjoram
• 1/4 tsp. ground pepper
• sprinkle of dried bay leaves (if cut)
• 1 tsp. dried parsley
4.  Add a heaped cup of diced chicken (I just used my pre-cooked baked chicken recipe), and simmer for 5 more minutes.

 *Add noodles if desired.