krismulkey.com

Can you believe it? I've been blogging for 3 years! It all started with a post about Pork Chops. Now I occasionally get paid to write a post. I've been invited to be on Anderson Cooper, people send me things to write about (like wine!) I went to the Napa Valley Film Festival and got to meet Adrien Grenier (hello gorgeous), attended BlogHer Food and the Wine Sisterhood conference. Crazy, right!!? And so fun. I'm a Member of the Clever Girls network where I'm friends with some really cool cats, including a girl named CAT! I've written sponsored posts for the Napa Valley Film Festival, Heart of Haiti, Cheerios, Star Olive Oil, Sante Nuts, Quaker Oatmeal Squares, Yahoo, Marzetti Salad Dressing, Cube Dog and Walgreens. I joined a writing club called The Red Dress Club which then evolved into Write on Edge. It became much more than a writing club for me. I made real friends. I was featured in the Marin IJ Newspaper in January. A mind blowing and very c...

I have a guest post today!!! Please read this essay by my friend Karen Lynch. Karen and Kyra We met about 6 years ago at a China girls playgroup shortly after we moved from Connecticut to California. She has written a story about her adoption experience and is looking to get it published. Please vote for her essay on Facebook . The winner of the contest will get to meet with a book publisher! Click here to link to the story, then click the "like" button at the end of the story. Thank you! # # # # # The Road to Kyra by Karen Lynch “Look, Mommy! Lil Sis. “ Aidan pointed to the personalized license plate on the car ahead as we drove to school. We had been searching everywhere for signs that his baby sister would soon join our family, our variation of I Spy. The wait seemed interminable. There were, of course, the reams of paperwork. Then, countless referrals we had extracted from friends and employers, people willing to testify we were a wholesome, or at ...

Have you ever thought about what you would do with your lottery winnings when you win? No? Liar. Of course you have. Everyone has. It's fun to dream about all the things you'd buy or do with the money. I've had this really strong feeling about the lottery lately. It could be because it's been in the news. I don't know, I just had this feeling I should buy a ticket. So I did. How cool would it be if I won! I know exactly what I'd do with the money. 1. Pay off our debts. 2. Pay off the mortgages of our immediate family members - my parents, my sister, brothers, my nieces and nephews, brother and sister-in-laws 3. I would buy us a house. 4. Set up a trust for Kiddo! here in Mill Valley. 5. Set up a college scholarship for kids that want to study the arts - dance, music and art. 6. Set up a foundation for small business. I would want us to be like AFLAC. We're there for you in emergencies. We would give 1x only "gifts" to help out...

Have you ever gone on a trip and done something so fun you can't stop thinking about it? That's what this wine blending experience was for me! I got to play wine maker for a day. Pure heaven!!!! It was an amazing experience that I got to share with all my new Wine Sisterhood friends. I wasn't exactly sure what "blending your own wine meant." Would we be climbing on barrels drawing samples with a syringe? Would we be holding our glass up to big tanks grabbing a sip? My mind was full of ideas on how this might work. We were quickly taken from our bus to the AVA room at Conn Creek which was beautifully set with barrels lining the walls, wine glasses on the table, brochures and pens carefully layed out, and a nice little taste of wine waiting for us.  Aaaaaah, this is what they meant. I pictured something much more rustic. Silly me. We started out by tasting the Cabernet from Conn Creek. Everyone loved it. All of us immediately thought, "oooo...

Home-made pasta at Redd-Wood. Have any plans this weekend? Head to Yountville and check out Redd Wood Restaurant. The space is super cool. The food is farm fresh and delicious, service was friendly and efficient, the wine list and cocktail list is interesting and inventive, and the booth was mighty comfy. Oh, and they will make an amazing bowl of pasta with butter for the kids if you ask. I love doors. And they have a beautiful door on the side of the building. Front REDD-WOOD.com Gorgeous booth by Pollin's Interiors! Interior design by Erin Martin Design in St. Helena. the wine list Don enjoying a glass of vino Elli and her Shirley Temple Asparagus, onion, prosciutto, and a fried egg. SO DEEELISH! So what else is on the menu you ask? They have delicious appetizers and meat and cheese plates, brick oven pizzas, salads, pasta, sandwiches and entrees like roasted quail, ribeye, braised oxtail, grilled snapper and some pretty...

I taste wine all the time, but I'm no pro. I just like wine. Don and I are always trying something new. In fact, we hardly ever buy the same thing twice. And now that I work for BevMo! I get even more opportunities to try wine. One thing I'm still learning to do is pair wine and food together for a harmonious union. When it's done right everything tastes so much better. When it's done wrong, it can be really wrong. You might think there is something wrong with the food, or the wine. When the reality is they were not meant to be together. Kind of like Ben and Courtney. No, wait, they deserve each other. More like Sandra Bullock and Jesse James or Demi and Ashton. I knew they would never work out. I participated in a really fun wine + food pairing session at the Wine Sisterhood conference a few weeks ago. I've been meaning to share it with you. It's simple to do and would be fun with a bunch of friends. You just need 5 bottles of wine and a simple pl...

thespitbucket.com  How fun are these coasters? thespitbucket.com And this wine stopper? Elli and I arm wrestled over the coasters to pick our favorite. She got swirl. I got smile. Don got nuthin'. He didn't want to play. That's how we roll around here. I got the pack of coasters and stopper in my goody bag from the Wine Sisterhood conference . They were donated by The Spit Bucket , which just happens to be based in Napa! I love home-town goodies. I love goody bags. They're only $19.99 for the set. Don't you think they would make a great gift?! Shop here for your very own coasters and other cool stuff. >>> TheSpitBucket

Updated post in 2017 when I realized my BevMo! images were no longer there since they deleted the amazing blog I created for them. waah. Jameson, Ginger and Lime I've been pinning and promoting Irish cocktails, food and treats all week. I feel like I've done St. Patrick's day for about 10 days now. There is one recipe that has been on my mind. The shamrock shake. Dang you McDonald's. I found this knock-off recipe on Real Simple. I'm pretty sure some ice cream is in my future. Don is not a big fan of corned beef and cabbage, which is a bummer. I love it. He hates it. The mere thought of boiled meat and stinky cabbage makes him shiver. So if I want it I'll have to go somewhere else to get it. I really don't want the house smelling like cabbage anyway. Plus now that I really think about it boiling meat is pretty gross and weird. Here are some of the things I've seen this week that look really yummy.  Guinness, Whiskey & Irish Cre...

Remember when I wrote about the Zinfandel festival about a month ago? Well I've been meaning to circle back and tell you about some of my favorites, but I've been busy working and goofing around on Pinterest and haven't gotten to it. It's a good thing I took pictures of everything I tasted or I would never have remembered. This is a good tip for everyone out there. If you're in a restaurant and love the wine just grab a quick picture. There are some great wine apps you can use to organize your favorites but I'm not that organized. It's just one more thing. When I came home and told Don how much I loved what I tasted he didn't really respond. He's not a big fan of zin. So I went to the store and picked up two bottles of the Dry Creek Vineyard Heritage Zinfandel. "You have to try this. You're going to love it." I told him. I poured him a big glass. He swirled it. Sniffed it. Tasted it. Silence. I'm staring at him. ...