Garlic Basil Changua (Egg & Milk Soup)

So I've heard that in foreign countries, hot food and soup are served just as often on hot days and cold days. Apparently it has something to do with the body's temperature regulation.

What do I know? I tend to crave a smoothie and cold cut sandwich when it's 90+ degrees out. As far as I know, my body temperature is still 98.6 ;)

But then again, there's something about steaming hot food that just satisfies, no matter what the temperature.

Today, as the temperatures are rising, I decided soup would be a good option.

I chose a breakfast soup. From Columbia I believe. I have to admit, I have a really hard time following a recipe. So yes, I changed a few things up. Partly because I wanted to use what I had in the cupboards! Also, I wanted to experiment. I think it's worth a try. It's pretty tasty if I may say so myself.

Mine looks thin and funny. This is because I didn't add enough milk, and I used skim milk. The recipe given has been improved. It will look/taste better if made according to the recipe below!

Garlic Basil Changua

Ingredients for one serving:
1 cup of milk (2% or whole would be best)
1 cup of water
1 clove of garlic (use a garlic press if possible or just mince)
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 egg
salt and pepper to taste (don't be shy on the salt--most of us are used to salty soup)
2 basil leaves, chopped
1 tsp parmesan cheese
1/4 cup chopped tomato

Heat milk and water, then add garlic and salt. Simmer approximately 10 minutes. Add tomato and onion powder, then carefully add egg (don't break the yoke!).
When the egg is done, pour into bowl and top with remaining ingredients: pepper, basil, and parmesan.
Enjoy with toast or croutons!

Note:
-I was very tempted to get even farther from the original "changua" concept and scramble the egg to make it egg-drop milk soup. This would be a good thing, since I felt I had to eat the soup and egg separately. I wanted egg in every bite. Next time I make this, I will probably try egg-drop style.

Tilapia al Forno con Patate (Baked Tilapia and Potatoes)

A couple days ago I had a moment when I thought that Spanish and Italian were basically the same. It's really not. Well, it has some similarities.

But for some reason, I thought I could read Italian at a beginner level since I know Spanish at an intermediate level. Falso. (<--That was a typo, but I decided against fixing it.)

Knowing Spanish does not mean you can read Italian. It means you can maybe guess at a few words of Italian. It helps, I'm sure, but they are not the same. Perhaps I was confusing Spanish with Portuguese...

But let me tell you, I love getting inspiration from different countries! It makes life a little more exciting, don't you think? 

Even if it's something plain, it's unlikely that it's plain in the same way our stuff is plain. Did that make sense? Probably not.

Anyway, this dish is Italian. I know we eat "Italian" dishes all the time via pasta, pizza, bruschetta, etc. But sometimes I feel like we assume that's all they eat in Italy. I'd take a guess and say they eat more than pasta, bread, tomatoes, mozzarella, and basil.

So here's something I think might be a typical Italian dinner. But what do I know? I'm mostly of German descent.

This is what it looks like before going into the oven

Doesn't it sound yummier in Italian? I think so. But that's ok, because whether it sounds yummy in your language or not, it is yummy! Thankfully your language doesn't change the taste :)

All cooked and plated!

Tilapia al Forno con Patate (Baked Tilapia and Potatoes)

adapted from Cook Around
Ingredients for 4 servings

4 tilapia filets
4 red potatoes
1 cup breadcrumbs
2-3 tbs dried parsley (or 1 sprig fresh)
2 cloves garlic
5-6 tbs olive oil
salt
pepper

Preheat oven to 350. or 356 if you want to get specific. I did, just...because I could.

Wash then slice potatoes about 1/4 inch thick. Cover the bottom of a baking dish with about 2 tbs of oil (make sure the sides get a slight brushing of oil also to prevent sticking). Then line the bottom with one layer of potatoes. Next, add the tilapia filets, cut in half if necessary. Pour another 1-2 tbs of oil on top of fish, fulling covering each filet. Fill in with the remaining potatoes. Salt and pepper.

Mince garlic and chop along with parsley. Cover potatoes and fish with 1/3 parsley and garlic. Mix breadcrumbs with remaining parsley and garlic, then evenly cover with this mixture. Evenly pour remaining (1-2 tbs) olive oil on the top.

Bake in oven for 40 minutes. Serve immediately and enjoy!

Notes:
-I used "japanese" breadcrumbs. I have no idea what makes them Japanese, but they tasted good. I assume any breadcrumbs will do.
-The oil measurements are from me being stingy so it wasn't so high-calorie, but the original had more olive oil (and potatoes), although it was possibly intended to serve more people. So feel free to add a little more if you feel the need.
-Make sure the potatoes aren't cut too big, so they bake at the same rate as the fish. The fish I used was half-thawed, half-frozen, so the potatoes may need to be smaller, depending on how cold the fish starts as and how thick it is.