Cheese Popcorn ( Finger Foods For Kids ) recipe | by Tarla Dalal

Make popcorn a little more delicious. Freshly popped corn, cheese and herbs tossed in together makes a surprisingly tasty snack. Children will enjoy this over a weekend cartoon movie; serve in cute paper buckets or cones. Yummy! these mini munchies are best consumed within a day.

Preparation Time: 5 mins
Cooking Time: 7 mins
Makes 4 servings

Ingredients

3 tbsp oil
3/4 cup dry corn kernels
1/2 tsp salt
3 tsp butter
1/4 cup cheddar cheese powder , readily available in the market
1 tsp red chilli flakes
1 tsp freshly ground black pepper powder

Method

1. Heat the oil in a pressure cooker, add the corn and salt and sauté on a high flame for a few seconds.
2. Cover with a lid and cook on a very slow flame for approx. 4 to 5 minutes or till you hear the popping sound. When the corn stops popping, remove from the flame and open the lid of the pressure cooker (refer handy tip).
3. Heat the butter in a deep non-stick pan, add the cheese powder, chilli flakes and pepper, mix well and remove from the flame.
4. Add the prepared popcorn and toss well.
5. Serve immediately or store in an air-tight container.

Handy tip:  At step 2, do not put the gasket and whistle on the lid of the pressure cooker, to allow the steam to escape and avoid the popcorn from turning soggy.

SOLVING THE WRONG PROBLEM :p

One fine day, a bus driver went to the bus garage, started his bus, and drove off along the route. No problems for the first few stops-a few people got on, a few got off, and things went generally well.

At the next stop, however, a big hulk of a guy got on. Six feet eight, built like a wrestler, arms hanging down to the ground. He glared at the driver and said, "Big John doesn't pay!" and sat down at the back.


Did I mention that the driver was five feet three, thin, and basically meek?
Well, he was. Naturally, he didn't argue with Big John, but he wasn't happy about it.


The next day the same thing happened-Big John got on again, made a show of refusing to pay, and sat down. And the next day, and the one after that, and so forth. This grated on the bus driver, who started losing sleep over the way Big John was taking advantage of him.


Finally he could stand it no longer. He signed up for body building courses, karate, judo, and all that good stuff. By the end of the summer, he had become quite strong; what's more, he felt really good about himself.


So on the next Monday, when Big John once again got on the bus and said, "Big John doesn't pay!," the driver stood up, glared back at the passenger, and screamed, "And why not?"


With a surprised look on his face, Big John replied, "Big John has a bus pass."


*********************
Be sure there is a problem in the first place before working hard to solve one.

THE FOUR WIVES

There was a rich merchant who had 4 wives. He loved the 4th wife the most and adorned her with rich robes and treated her to delicacies. He took great care of her and gave her nothing but the best.

He also loved the 3rd wife very much. He's very proud of her and always wanted to show off her to his friends. However, the merchant is always in great fear that she might run away with some other men.

He too, loved his 2nd wife. She is a very considerate person, always patient and in fact is the merchant's confidante. Whenever the merchant faced some problems, he always turned to his 2nd wife and she would always help him out and tide him through difficult times.

Now, the merchant's 1st wife is a very loyal partner and has made great contributions in maintaining his wealth and business as well as taking care of the household. However, the merchant did not love the first wife and although she loved him deeply, he hardly took notice of her.

One day, the merchant fell ill. Before long, he knew that he was going to die soon. He thought of his luxurious life and told himself, "Now I have 4 wives with me. But when I die, I'll be alone. How lonely I'll be!"

Thus, he asked the 4th wife, "I loved you most, endowed you with the finest clothing and showered great care over you. Now that I'm dying, will you follow me and keep me company?" "No way!" replied the 4th wife and she walked away without another word. The answer cut like a sharp knife right into the merchant's heart.

The sad merchant then asked the 3rd wife, "I have loved you so much for all my life. Now that I'm dying, will you follow me and keep me company?" "No!" replied the 3rd wife. "Life is so good over here! I'm going to remarry when you die!" The merchant's heart sank and turned cold.

He then asked the 2nd wife, "I always turned to you for help and you've always helped me out. Now I need your help again. When I die, will you follow me and keep me company?" "I'm sorry, I can't help you out this time!" replied the 2nd wife. "At the very most, I can only send you to your grave." The answer came like a bolt of thunder and the merchant was devastated.

Then a voice called out : "I'll leave with you. I'll follow you no matter where you go." The merchant looked up and there was his first wife. She was so skinny, almost like she suffered from malnutrition. Greatly grieved, the merchant said, "I should have taken much better care of you while I could have !"

 Actually, we all have 4 wives in our lives

a. The 4th wife is our body. No matter how much time and effort we lavish in making it look good, it'll leave us when we die.

b. Our 3rd wife ? Our possessions, status and wealth. When we die, they all go to others.

c. The 2nd wife is our family and friends. No matter how close they had been there for us when we're alive, the furthest they can stay by us is up to the grave.

d. The 1st wife is in fact our soul, often neglected in our pursuit of material, wealth and sensual pleasure.

Guess what? It is actually the only thing that follows us wherever we go. Perhaps it's a good idea to cultivate and strengthen it now rather than to wait until we're on our deathbed to lament.

Kids Are Quick

___________________________ _________
TEACHER:      Maria, go to the map and find North America ..
MARIA:         Here it  is.
TEACHER:      Correct.  Now class, who discovered America ?
CLASS:         Maria.
____________________________________
TEACHER:     John, why are you doing your math multiplication on the floor?
JOHN:         You told me to do it without using tables.
__________________________________________
TEACHER:    Glenn, how do you spell 'crocodile?'
GLENN:       K-R-O-K-O-D-I-A-L'
TEACHER:    No, that's wrong
GLENN:         Maybe it is wrong, but you asked me how I spell it.  
(I  Love this kid)
____________________________________________
TEACHER:    Donald, what is the chemical formula for water?
DONALD:    H I J K L M N O.
TEACHER:    What are you talking about?
DONALD:    Yesterday you said it's H to O.  
__________________________________
TEACHER:    Winnie, name one important thing we have today that we didn't have ten years ago.
WINNIE:      Me!
__________________________________________ 
TEACHER:    Glen, why do you always get so dirty?
GLEN:           Well, I'm a lot closer to the ground than you are.  
_______________________________________
TEACHER:     Millie, give me a sentence starting with " I "
MILLIE:        I is..
TEACHER:     No, Millie..... Always say, 'I  am.'
MILLIE:       All right ...  "I am the ninth letter of the alphabet."
________________________________
TEACHER:  George Washington not only chopped down his father's cherry tree, but also admitted it.  
                   Now, Louie, do you know why his father didn't punish him?

LOUIS:  Because George still had the axe in his hand....
______________________________________  
TEACHER:  Now, Simon, tell me frankly, do you say prayers before eating?
SIMON:          No sir, I don't have to, my Mom is a good cook.  
______________________________
TEACHER:   Clyde , your composition on 'My Dog' is exactly the same as your brother's ... Did you copy his?
CLYDE :        No, sir. It's the same dog.  
___________________________________
TEACHER:    Harold, what do you call a person who keeps on talking when people are no longer interested?
HAROLD:     A teacher
__________________________________  
PASS  IT AROUND AND MAKE SOMEONE  LAUGH!
LAUGHTER  IS THE MEDICINE FOR THE SOUL !!

A HEART TOUCHING STORY…

Dear Friends,
Here is beautiful story that touched my heart, trust you will enjoy reading it and then practice it .. toooo.
After 21 years of marriage, my wife wanted me to take
another woman out to dinner and a movie. She said I
love you but I know this other woman loves you and
would love to spend some time with you.
The other woman that my wife wanted me to visit was my
MOTHER, who has been a widow for 19 years, but the
demands of my work and my three children had made it
possible to visit her only occasionally.
That night I called to invite her to go out for dinner
and a movie.
"What's wrong, are you well," she asked? My mother is
the type of woman who suspects that a late night call
or a surprise invitation is a sign of bad news.
"I thought that it would be pleasant to be with you," I
responded. "Just the two of us."
She thought about it for a moment! , and then said, "I
would like that very much."
That Friday after work, as I drove over to pick her up
I was a bit nervous. When I arrived at her house, I
noticed that she, too, seemed to be nervous about our
date. She waited in the door with her coat on. She had
curled her hair and was wearing the dress that she had
worn to celebrate her last wedding anniversary.
She smiled from a face that was as radiant as an
angel's.
"I told my friends that I was going to go out with my
son, and they were impressed, "she said, as she got
into the car. "They can't wait to hear about our
meeting". We went to a restaurant that, although not
elegant, was very nice and cosy. My mother took my
arm as if she were the First Lady. After we sat down,
I had to read the menu. Half way through
the entries, I lifted my eyes and saw Mom sitting
there staring at me. A nostalgic smile was on her lips
"It was I who used to have to read the menu when you
were small," she said.
"Then it's time that you relax and let me return the
favour," I responded.
During the dinner, we had an agreeable conversation -
nothing extraordinary, but catching up on recent
events of each other's life. We talked so much that we
missed the movie.
As we arrived at her house later, she said, "I'll go
out with you again, but only if you let me invite
you." I agreed.
"How was your dinner date?" asked my wife when I got
home. "Very nice. Much more so than I could have
imagined," I answered.
A few days later, my mother died of a massive heart
attack. It happened so suddenly that I did not get to do
anything for her.
Some time later, I received an envelope with a copy
of a restaurant receipt from the same place mother and
I had dined.
An attached note said: "I paid this bill in advance. I
wasn't sure that I could be there; but nevertheless, I
paid for two plates - one for you and the other for
your wife. You will never know what that night meant
for me. I love you, son."
At that moment, I understood the importance of saying
in time: "I LOVE YOU!" and to give our loved ones the
time that they deserve. Nothing in life is more
important than God and your family. Give them the
time they deserve, because these things cannot be put
off till "some other time."
Pass this along to everyone with an aging parent, to a
child, to an adult, to anyone with a parent.
"Please do not take people you LOVE for Granted" .. it is said that people we love the most .. we hurt the most. Lets change this. NOW.
Here's wishing your today is better than yesterday and tomorrow.
Wish you all the Love.

GURU MANTRAS BY CHANAKYA

(True Indian Politician, Strategist and Writer, 350 BC-283 BC)

1."A person should not be too honest. Straight trees are cut first and honest people are screwed first."

2."Even if a snake is not poisonous, it should pretend to be venomous."

3."The biggest guru-mantra is: Never share your secrets with anybody. If you cannot keep secret with you, do not expect that other will keep it. ! It will destroy you."

4."There is some self-interest behind every friendship. There is no Friendship without self-interests. This is a bitter truth."

5."Before you start some work, always ask yourself three questions - WHY am I doing it, WHAT the results might be and WILL I be successful. Only when you think deeply and find satisfactory answers to these questions, go ahead."

6."As soon as the fear approaches near, attack and destroy it."

7."Once you start a working on something, don't be afraid of failure and don't abandon it. People who work sincerely are the happiest."

8."The fragrance of flowers spreads only in the direction of the wind. But the goodness of a person spreads in all direction."

9."A man is great by deeds, not by birth."

10."Treat your kid like a darling for the first five years. For the next five years, scold them. By the time they turn sixteen, treat them like a friend. Your grown up children are your best friends."

11."Education is the best friend. An educated person is respected everywhere. Education beats the beauty and the youth."

12."The world's biggest power is the youth and beauty of a woman."

13."God is not present in idols. Your feelings are your god. The soul is your temple."

14."Books are as useful to a stupid person as a mirror is useful to a blind person."

15."A good wife is one who serves her husband in the morning like a mother does, loves him in the day like a sister does and pleases him like a prostitute in the night".

16."An egoist can be won over by being respected, a crazy person can be won over by allowing him to behave in an insane manner and a wise person can be won over by truth".

17."A human being should strive for four things in life - dharma, money, sex and salvation. A person who hasn't strived for even one of these things has wasted life".

18."A rich man has many friends".

19."A woman is four times as shy, six times as brave and eight times as libidinous as a man".

20. "If you get to learn something even from the worst of creatures, don't hesitate".

21."In a state where the ruler lives like a common man, the citizens live like kings do. And in the state where the ruler lives like a king, the citizens live like beggars do".

22."Jealousy is another name for failure".

23."Never make friends with people who are above or below you in status. Such friendships will never give you any happiness".

24."One who is in search of knowledge should give up the search of pleasure and the one who is in search of pleasure should give up the search of knowledge".

25."The four greatest enemies of a man are - the father who has taken a loan, the characterless mother, the beautiful but promiscuous wife and the stupid child".

26."God is not present in idols. Your feelings are your god. The soul is your temple."

27. "Learn from the mistakes of others. You can't live long enough to make them all yourselves!!"

DIVORCE VS. MURDER

A nice, calm and respectable lady went into the pharmacy, walked up to the pharmacist, looked straight into his eyes, and said, "I would like to buy some cyanide."

The pharmacist asked, "Why in the world do you need cyanide?"

The lady replied, "I need it to poison my husband."

The pharmacist's eyes got big and he explained, "Lord have mercy!

I can't give you cyanide to kill your husband, that's against the law?

I'll lose my licence! They'll throw both of us in jail! All kinds of bad things will happen. Absolutely not! You CANNOT have any cyanide!

The lady reached into her purse and pulled out a picture of her husband in bed with the pharmacist's wife.

The pharmacist looked at the picture and replied, "My dear lady, you didn't tell me you had a prescription!"