mud masks, fried chicken and few facts about fairies

So, right now I am sitting at my kitchen table in pjs and a mud mask reflecting on the past week. Two things spring to mind.

The first is an adventure into fried chicken. You see my man and I saw The Help a little while ago - amazing film, I highly recommend it - and there was one dish that kept rearing it's head again and again. Fried Chicken. Would you believe me if I said that I have no memory of eating fried chicken in my life? Oh and I McNuggets when I was a kid... but let's be honest here. That's not chicken. That was probably squirrel and possum or something. But don't remember having fried chicken, not even KFC.

According to my paramour, everyone must try fried chicken at least once in their lives. So we went to work.

Typically for Fried Chicken you need:
chicken
egg and milk
bread crumbs/spices/flour
oil

However we barely have bread as it is and we were not about to use up said bread in crumb form. Trust my man to come up with a solution through.
Cornflakes.

That's right, Cornflakes.

So you have two bowls. One has the mix of egg and milk, the other has the mix of dry ingredients... whatever they may be. You dunk the chicken in the wet bowl the dry bowl then the plop it an oily pan to sizzle and crack. Mmmmm, best sound ever!

They actually turned out wonderfully... although a little crunchier than I think they're supposed to be. I blame the cereal. However, easy to do. Give it a try.

But just make sure that you don't piss off the fairies while you're at it.
Fairies?
I'm sure you're thinking it.

Yes, Fairies. My latest paper is all about the sub genre of Fairylore, looking at samples from the UK and Newfoundland (you know, that place that assaults you with its weather) and I have learned some valuable information.
1. Fairies (aka the good folk, aka the fair ones, aka the fée, aka the little people etc.) will try to steal your baby and leave you with one of their own in its place. If this happens you have a few options. a)You can place the changeling on an a shovel you've heated up in the fire and leave them both outside, or b)you can hand the baby a set of wood pipes and wait for it to cave to its desperate love of music and leave your home.
2. If you don't want your baby stolen then leave some fresh baked bead in your baby's crib.
3. If you are passing a fairy tree (the great big tree all alone in the middle of a field) leave a shiny and the fairies will leave you (unharmed).
4. If you break a mirror, bring the broken pieces to the fairy tree and you won't get bad luck.
5. On the 11th of May one should seek our sprig of mountain ash with red berries and make a cross to hang over the door. This will keep the fairies from entering you house and keep away a bad luck.


Since October and May are the fairy months (the fairies are transitioning from one home to another) it's wise to have some fairylore in your back pocket. :)