oothapams - Part I

I think I know how that chick from "Julia and Julia" felt. Not that I've seen the movie...but I'm seeing how blogging about what I'm cooking is starting to mix itself into my normal life. Tonight...I'm tackling a recipe I've been mulling over trying for three years...oothapams (aka lentil pancakes). I saw the recipe in one of my first Vegetarian Times magazines. At first sight, I thought "how cool, but it's so hard...but it would be nice to know how to cook like this...". It almost seems like a survivalist recipe...

Today, I started the recipe. And I find it ironic I started a challenge on a day that I also attempted to do schoolwork with my son. Both were challenging for me. Both I'm doing to not just better myself, but better my family...

I'll post the recipe after I eat the oothopam. The recipe takes nearly two days to complete...but it looks like it's worth it. First I start by rinsing and draining both the basmati (I used basmati) rice and the lentils (I used regular lentils...cause I didn't have ivory). I put both into a pot and let it sit in alot of water.

During the day, while the pot sat, I attempted to sit with Merrick and help him with his tracing, learning shapes and learning numbers. The tracing was our hard part of the day. At three, Merrick is still having issues with holding a pencil. To help remedy this, I've ordered the Twist and Write pencils. My friend Barbara introduced them to me. Unfortunately the ones she gave me ran out of lead...so I had to order more. As I sit and wait, I still try to encourage Merrick to use a regular pencil. Sadly, today wasn't his day.

He would just barely hold the pencil, rush through everything and not even attempt to follow the lines, or he would just ask me to help. I'm trying to not do that as much with him, so I encouraged him to keep trying...

This is really as far as I can go cause let's just say...it's been a long day...we eventually did get through his lesson that started at 12:30 today and finish and 4:30...

*sigh*

Later, after everyone was asleep, it was time to drain the rice and lentils, then put them in a food processor with salt and fresh water. As I scooped out the mixture I created into a bowl, I thought about how tomorrow is another day. Hopefully, I can take something like and make it into something different. Hopefully, with a different approach, I can have better luck at school with Merrick.

It's at least acknowledging that you're wrong and trying to fix it...

Tomorrow, let's see how my 'pancakes' come out...