Baked Cheesy Garlic Mussels Recipe

Happy Monday everyone! How are you guys doing? The first week of my one-month vacay can't get any better so far. I'm currently spending quality time with my favorite people on earth: my family. It still feels so surreal seeing them and actually talking to them in person again. I can't believe it's been a year and nine months since the last time I saw them!

Anyway, my days are now filled with so much fun bondings and of course, good food! Just last week I've tried the yummiest baked fresh mussels ever! A winning combo of cheese  + garlic which tasted so amazing and they're super easy to make too.

You will be needing some fresh clean open mussels, slightly salted butter, minced garlic and grated cheddar cheese.
Mussels are a great protein source low in fat and calories. They're even rich in essential nutrients that can help you combat fatigue and even depression. In short, they belong to the "happy food group" and they're definitely good for you!

Let me know in case you try these out too! I also shared some of my easy peasy recipes for fried shanghai rolls and crispy fried okra here and here.

Do you have any simple but great-tasting healthy recipes? Share them with me! If you have links, so much better. I've got too much time on my hands right now to try them all out. Hope you're having the best day ever wherever you are in the world! :)

 
Follow on Bloglovin
8

Blythe and Me: Emily of CraftyGirl*

Our featured blogger for today's Blythe and Me series is none other than Emily, the sweet and fun-loving Australian girl behind the blog CraftyGirl*. She's only fourteen, but her creativity is just so massive it's hard not to love her to bits. She even co-founded The Utterly Awesome Blythe Club together with her friends which I have to say, really turns this teener's cool factor up a notch. Here's her "utterly awesome" Blythe collection story:


Can you tell us a bit about yourself and your awesome blog?
My name is Emily, and I am a 14 year old blogger from Australia. I blog over at CraftyGirl*. I love to spend my days crafting and making things for friends, Blythes and myself, taking photos, going thrifting, playing Blythes, dressing up and more! I am not your average 14 year old, because I love to dress so differently than everyone at school, and still play with dolls!

What got you into collecting Blythe dolls and can you share with us the story behind your very first Blythe?
A few years ago (I think 2007) I signed up for an online class with Elsie Larson. She put a photo of a Blythe, and to be honest, my mum and I used to say how creepy they were! Fast forward to 2010, and I had a girl named Bella who started commenting on my blog. I went to her blog and re-discovered Blythe, and LOVED them! We started chatting a bit about Blythes and I finally decided to get one right after!

When I got my first Blythe, I just had a bike accident. Basically I was going down a very long steep hill outside my house. I had done it SO many times I thought nothing could happen, but I was wrong. My mum decided to get me a Blythe doll for me to have something to keep my mind off the soreness. We ordered a Cassiopeia Spice, who I named Grace. When she came my fingers were so bruised and had blood blisters, so my brother and mum had to dress her for me!


How many Blythe dolls do you currently have? Do you have a particular favorite?
I currently have 8 Blythe dolls which I LOVE! I have 3 favourites, but my most favourite would have to be Milly, my custom Mini Me. She has matching glasses to match me, and she always looks right into my eyes! She is so alive sometimes!

Do you also feature your Blythe dolls on your blog? Any other special activities you do with your dolls (like maybe bringing them when you travel, sewing clothes for them)?
I feature my Blythe dolls on my blog regularly! I post photos of them, D.I.Y's, blythe doll mail I have received and sent, and more like that. I love to crochet for my blythe dolls, and whenever we travel somewhere, I always take a blythe doll or two! When we go out sometimes to special places, or markets, I take one of them.

Aside from Blythe dolls, are you also into collecting other things?
I have quite the collection of keyrings. Most of them are vintage. I have one key, and about a million keyrings! I also love to collect re-ment and Blythe doll miniatures, coins from other countries or special coins, stamps, scout or girl guide badges and cute things!


Thank you so much, Emily for sharing your Blythe story! Get to know more about Emily and her doll collection through her blog. You can also connect with her through the following links: FacebookFlickr.

Here are some of my favorite posts from Emily featuring some of her wide-eyed dollies:

Are you a blogger who's also into collecting Blythe dolls? I'd love to feature you and your collection here in Icing & Write! Please send a quick email to aizzing(at)icingandwrite(dot)com with the subject "Blythe and Me" so I can hook you up with the details.

  Follow on Bloglovin
10

Leaving on a jet plane

All my bags are (not) packed and I'm (not) ready to go... Seriously, is packing the worst part of traveling or what?

Currently in the middle of packing for my month-long vacay in Manila. I can't believe I'm already leaving in three days! Sadly, things aren't looking so good right now and I'm not even sure if I can manage to fit everything inside my luggage. I'm in such a huge mess! There's just way too many stuff I want to bring with me for this trip and I really think my excitement is getting the best of me.


I'm like the worst packer ever! I don't think I'll ever be good at this. Been putting this off for so long and now I'm super pressed for time. How some people manage to do this like it's the most natural thing in the world will forever be a mystery to me. I really envy those people who got things all figured out before even starting. But I'm hoping I get to finish this tough chore real soon though. Still got tons to do before I leave.

Any tips for a wannabe Little Miss Packer? My mind is all over the place here. :(


Follow on Bloglovin
9

Sweet friends and my entrepreneur days

Happy September everyone! The "-ber" months are finally here. Can't believe that I'll be leaving the desert for Manila this coming Friday already. So excited for my vacation and to finally hear radio stations play my favorite Christmas songs again. It's always a happy feeling. :)

Because of the unbearable heat all summer, the boyfriend and I have developed a huge fondness for regular bonding time indoors spent watching movies after movies. We have even recruited a couple of friends who have enjoyed quite a number of feel-good movies with us (mostly of the romantic comedy type) over the past months.

They brought a big box of Krispy Kreme the last time for us to devour during our marathon. So much for my plan of eating healthy, but I have no regrets. They do make living here in Dubai a lot more fun. We definitely have the sweetest friends with an even sweeter tooth!


Two years ago, September meant the start of a busy season for me and my shop back in Manila. I used to join a lot of bazaars and festivals during the shopping season, which was a complete mad rush from September until December. I was dealing with suppliers, endless ingress and egress, managing an online shop, and also maintaining a full-time office job all at the same time. Thankfully, my boyfriend was so supportive of me and I also have equally supportive cool friends who were ever willing to lend me a helping hand. The rush, excitement and everything from those experiences felt so amazing. I learned a lot, pushed myself to my limits and achieved so much. It was such a fun phase in my life that I will never ever forget. 


I miss Eunice, my gorgeous mannequin. Had to sell her though before I moved here. It was a heartbreaking moment. Hopefully, someday I can go back to my entrepreneur days when I go back home for good. :)

I love our laid-back life and the new friends we have here in Dubai, but I can't wait to hug my family in Manila. I'm looking at our planned itinerary and it's packed and filled to the brim! I'm so beyond excited! Life is good.

How's your weekend? Hope you're having as much fun and excitement as I have!

Follow on Bloglovin
6