thisendoftheswamp

In all of Cookingdom there are few things more aggravating than having to crack open a can of Tomato Paste

The stuff comes in 6-ounce cans, but recipes only call for one tablespoon. The rest of it sits in the fridge and goes bad, no matter how you try to keep it useable. From what I understand this stuff comes in squeeze tubes in Europe, but that would probably been seen as a Communist plot by one political party or the other if we tried to introduce it in America . . .

This time around, I came up with an idea that I hope will solve the problem. I have a one-tablespoon cookie scoop, so I laid out a sheet of wax paper and then I emptied the can by plopping out recipe sized scoops of tomato paste and putting the entire business in the freezer. Once they were frozen solid, I popped them into a zip-lock, and labeled them.

Now, I can only hope I A) remember I have them next time I need them, and B) find them in the jumble that is the freezer.

The Squire was having some severe internal problems Sunday evening, so I carted him off to the Emergency Room. We should have known better. When I went to the hospital for my busted head, we arrived at 9:30 and left at 6:30 in the morning. This time, we again arrived at 9:30 Sunday night, and didn’t leave until 8:15 Monday morning.

I simply do not understand why they can’t just treat you and get it over with. We were there about an hour before they took The Squire’s vitals. Maybe an hour and a half later they took him back to draw blood. Sometime after that – based on the blood tests, I imagine – they called him back and hooked him to an IV. A bit later, they took him back to talk about his problem.

We’d been there about 9 hours.

Eventually, the staff took him to a cubicle. At this point, we’d been on our feet 24 hours. The Squire promptly fell asleep. I went to the cafeteria and got two strawberry yogurts and a cup of coffee, which set me back $10! Can you say, “Highway Robbery”? By the time the doctor finally saw him, and we got the paperwork, it was after 8 AM. We came home, had a breakfast, and went to bed. I only slept a few hours but went back to bed at 7 PM and slept straight through until 6:30 Tuesday morning.