A short video

The Queen has created a video on YouTube to advertise The Gluten-Free Postcards 2016 Barn Collection. It's fancy and the Queen is proud of it.

So please take a moment to gaze upon the regal splendor of the Upper Cumberland area:

Help Me Buy Thomas House - The Queen's Crowdfunding Campaign

Good evening... or morning... whatever the hell it is. The Queen has lost track of time between adjusting her schedule for the night shift and coming down with a cold. All I know is that it's almost Benadryl time, and then six glorious hours of unconsciousness.

A quick update. I have designed over 130 postcards which are available at HelpMeBuyThomasHouse.com or through my Facebook page.

I have also penned letters to prominent players in the paranormal field to see if they will come onboard to add credibility and exposure to my crowdfunding campaign, which I hope to launch soon. I figure just one of them has over 3 million fans, and if each of those fans contributed a dollar I would faint have more than enough to purchase and renovate the hotel... and then some... but at the very least I feel like my goal is attainable if just a portion of them get excited.

I'll be sleeping on those letters and revising them in the morning. Then out they go. The Queen may spend a lot of time researching and planning, but she is also a woman of action!

Aside from that, life sucks. It will be another unimpressive Christmas where I would be grateful for coal because it would save on electricity bills. The Queen is tired of disappointment. Hopefully this new job will help and/or the postcards will sell and/or my new book will sell and the hotel will come to fruition. Failing that there is always Publisher's Clearing House.

Not to leave things on a sour note, gaze upon some of my favorite postcards:

Tres Leches

Sometimes people can be real jerks. Like the guy who posted the Chuy's Tres Leches Cake recipe, then took it down because he was putting it into his cookbook.

Really? Because ones of tens of people are going to buy your cookbook. So my Pinterest pin went nowhere and it was almost a catastrophe since I'd bought ingredients for the cake - which ain't cheap y'all!

Jerk.

Luckily some forward thinking person had copied the recipe and posted it on their blog. They gave him credit. I'm not going to, because I had to modify it anyway... it was almost there, but all kinds of wrong. Definite learning curve and some un-Queenly language involved.

The King's critique of said cake: "Whoa!" High praise indeed. Also, "I could eat a whole pan of this." Which means I need to find a place to hide my cake, or I won't get any.

So here is the Queen's gift to the world, her version of Chuy's Tres Leches cake, modified from Mr. Jerk's recipe. Enjoy!

Photo credit: Chuy's Restaurants

Chuy’s Tres Leches Cake

12 Eggs
¼ Tbsp Salt

3 cups Sugar
3 cups Flour
1 Tbsp + 1 ½ tsp Baking Powder
1 Tbsp + 1 ½ tsp Vanilla
1 ½ cups Whole Milk
Butter to grease pan

Pour-Over

(2) 12 oz. cans Evaporated Milk
(1) 14 oz. cans Condensed Milk
2 cups Heavy Cream
1/2 Tbsp Vanilla

Creme Fraiche
4 cups (1 quart) Heavy Cream
½ cup Buttermilk
1 ½ cups Sugar
2 Tbsp Vanilla

Directions: Preheat oven to 350F. Separate egg whites from yolks. Place whites in fridge while you make the first batter.

Add sugar to yolks and beat with a hand mixer until smooth. Add flour, baking powder, vanilla and milk; mix well.

In a new bowl whip egg whites and salt until they form stiff peaks. With a rubber spatula GENTLY fold egg whites into cake batter, being sure to incorporate them fully.

Grease the bottom of an 11 x 13 inch pan. Pour cake batter in prepared pan and bake at 350F for approx. 45 mins. Check doneness after 30 mins by inserting a toothpick into the cake and seeing if it comes out clean.

After removing cake from oven, poke holes every inch with a chopstick, or make small slits with a butter knife throughout the cake.

Combine pour-over ingredients and mix well. Pour mixture over cake and cool in refrigerator overnight.

Creme Fraiche Directions: Combine all ingredients in mixing bowl or stand mixer bowl. Whip with hand mixer or in stand mixer for 30 seconds or until the mixture resembles whipped cream.

To assemble: After cake has cooled overnight, top with creme fraiche. At Chuy's they drizzle with chocolate or caramel sauce and top with a strawberry that has been sliced and fanned out to be all pretty-like. That's optional and the cake is impressive enough without all that hoo-hah.

You're welcome.

Also, for those interested in the Queen's personal affairs, I am starting a new project - postcard design. I am selling postcards created from photos I have personally taken around Red Boiling Springs... you know how I love to take photos... And I also love postcards.

Here is a smattering of designs.

The website is www.GlutenFreePostcards.com and the postcards are located under the "Shop" tab. I have over 130 designs and add more every day. I think I have an addiction... Personalized postcards are in the Category dropdown menu on the Postcard page.

Mrs. Todd Part Deux

Yesterday gave me wanderlust. I wanted to see what else was out there on roads I haven't traveled. The more remote, the better. Remember I like horror movies.

But first... this blue jay made a rare appearance in the bird garden.

What a gorgeous bird!

And on with the tour!

I couldn't even tell you where I went, I just took whatever road looked interesting and ended up in Kentucky before turning around to come home when the light started to fade.

This is an unusual tobacco barn.

More pretty horses.

Another road all for me.

Dead corn, dead corn, dead corn... Trees!

Another lucky moo cow.

Goats that ran out in front of my car. This is not an adequate goat fence, it's kind of a joke actually. There was a baby goat that was soooooo incredibly adorable, but the sun was behind it so I couldn't get a picture.

When I went to Scotland for the first time, we took a train and there was one part of the forest that was just white tree after white tree after white tree. I should have shot video of it, it was the most beautiful thing. This reminds me of it a little bit.

You can tell some of them aren't used very often... ask me how...

This is where Somara lives. I drove by quietly. She never sleeps you know... she never... sleeps...

This looked inviting. I like the menagerie of colors.

Of course, these were a little more stunning.

My grandfather used to drive around and take photos of chimneys and old houses. So now you know where I get it from.

So as I was saying yesterday... leaves covering the road...

This was an idyllic scene. Huge tree, little piece of fence peeking out. I initially thought it was a bench, which seemed perfect.

One of my favorite pics of the day.

And another barn.

Deer just hanging out.

More barns. Maybe I have a problem.

Oh.

My.

God.

This house was humongous. And the farm was humongous.

This is my other favorite photo. It was a really pretty area. My GPS said I could keep going and meet up with another road... no... not unless my car could fly...

  

I love the way the hills roll. Gorgeous.

Then I came home and made chicken enchiladas with mexican rice and black beans. That's what I'm selling at the farmer's market tomorrow.

It's a lot of work, and I've decided if things aren't better this weekend, I'm done. It's too much time and effort to do this and not sell anything. I have fun talking to everyone, but I can just go visit if I want.

The dinner also comes with Creamy Jalapeno Ranch, Salsa and Creamy Avocado Dip. $7.50, I think that's fair for two enchiladas and all the fixins. And if no one else does, then the King and I have dinner for the week and some to freeze.

And now it's time for the Queen to relax and snuggle with the royal hounds. Adieu!