Though I love planning holidays, I still forget things to pack. This time, I remembered the salt, sugar, tomato ketchup, my homemade pancake mix – a blend of flour, ground oats, bran, cinnamon and maple flakes, orange tea and hagelslag. I forgot the rice, the pasta, noodles and everything else in between. We arrived Barcelona hungry and I berated myself. <br /> <br />Right across from our holiday apartment, there is a store. We go in and I head for the carbohydrate aisle, past the beans and rice and straight for the quick cook pasta. J picks up a pack of broken spaghettini and I make that two. Once we know what dinner is made off, we think about the sauce. We spot some sardines, in search of corned beef and tuna. I grab a tin of aceituna neguila – black olives, a bottle of smooth tomato sauce, a jar of preserved red piquillo peppers, 2 onion bulbs, some garlic, vegetable oil, bacon bits and Leon’s chorizo. French bread, regular bread, eggs and milk; cans of coca cola, fanta and a large bottle of agua later, we’re done. Ready to make our first family dinner in Spain. <br /> <br />Back in the kitchen, I bang pots about and the end result is something like this - a delicious sauce that has us hankering for more - every single one of us! Fingers are licked. Plates wiped clean and a personal reminder to myself - pack right.

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