Mom in Madrid

When I make a roast chicken, I always have some left over the next day. My husband, however, is a picky eater. Although he doesn't mind eating left overs, he won't eat it when it's been in the refrigerator for more than one to two days. What I do, so he doesn't notice, is that I re-purpose the left over chicken into something else, like burritos and fried rice.

One of the most economical foods one can make in the kitchen is roast chicken. Buying an entire chicken is cheap. It's also easy to make. Just season the chicken, put it inside the oven for an hour and twenty minutes, and you're done.

As a parent, you're always trying to look for toys that can provide endless entertainment to your child and, at the same time, stimulate his creativity. If he can play with it for hours without bothering you, that's a win. If it's non-electronic, it's a double win. And if it's virtually indestructible, it's a triple win. One such toy is the magnetic tile set.

Handleless cookware or pots and pans (those with removable or detachable handles) are space-saving pots and pans. If you live in the city and/or you have a small kitchen like me, space is a premium. So when I moved to our new apartment in Madrid, I was looking for a set of pots and pans that were space-saving. Fortunately, I found this set that was not only space-saving, but because of its removable handles, could go from stove to oven and stove to table.

Most of us can't start our day without a cup of coffee. At times (or most of the time), we're always tempted to jaunt off to the nearest Starbucks (or our favorite coffee shop) just to get coffee. These few dollars daily can add up. But what if I told you that you could get coffee shop-quality coffee right in your own home?

I've made beef shanks braised with red wine, and they are good, but I'm Filipino and I miss Filipino food sometimes. So, when I got my fish sauce here in Madrid, I was so excited to start cooking Bulalo, a traditional Filipino dish made of beef shanks. Since beef shanks are a little bit expensive here, I added some regular cuts of lean beef to make the dish more economical. Cooked in the Instant Pot, it is amazing!

I find the macarrones too plain because it doesn't have protein like ground beef to make it more filling. So I'm always looking for ways to make it healthier. I'm happy to report that after several attempts, I finally got it figured out. I found a healthy balance to making an almost-fresh Italian-style tomato red sauce. I buy whole canned tomatoes that are already peeled. Win!

I have a three year old toddler, going on four. I don't really buy a lot of toys because we already have a lot and we live in the city where space is at a premium. However, it was Christmas and I wanted to get my son something educational yet something fun that the whole family can enjoy.

When you're living in a foreign country, you can't help but miss comfort food from your home country. For me, as a Filipino, I have several comfort foods, such as adobo and arroz caldo. Arroz caldo is a Filipino dish made primarily of chicken, rice, broth, and ginger (among other things), but the combination of all these simple ingredients makes it such a flavorful dish. To make arroz caldo, you probably already have most things in your refrigerator or pantry already. However, if you're not Asian, you might not have fish sauce.