July isn’t really my birthday month but what the heck, my bosses still gave me a post-birthday celebration 12 days after my actual birthday. They bought a food as a way of celebrating my birthday and the promotion of two of my colleagues. We had spaghetti, ube cake and chocolate cake from Red Ribbon.

The lettering on the cake reads: "Happy Birthday Jocelyn & Congrats To Wilma & Tina"

Cake for post-birthday celebration

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Ube cake

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Old folks!

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New blood!

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Thank you all so much for coming. (",)

To celebrate yet another milestone in my life, I chose to have a simple celebration with my co-workers by treating them to some goodies during "merienda" in the office.

Spreading some good cheer

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I also decided to make my specialty — Microwaveable Oatmeal Brownies with Hazelnut spread. It’s deceptively simple to make and you can read the recipe at the last portion of this post.

Taste test

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Sampling my Microwaveable Oatmeal Brownies with Hazelnut spread

My bosses liked the brownies and their positive feedback has encouraged me to try and learn more (read:real) cooking. For now, I’ll just stick to heating food and making simple desserts such as these in our microwave.

Recipe for Microwaveable Oatmeal Brownies with Hazelnut spread

Note: Microwave time varies because of the depth of the container used. If you are using a shallow container, reduce microwave time by 1-2 minutes otherwise the brownies may get burned.

2 cups quick-cooking oats
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup butter or margarine
1/2 cup honey
Hazelnut spread

In a bowl, combine oats, brown sugar, butter and honey. Microwave at HIGH for 2 to 3 minutes or until bubbly. Stir once and microwave again at HIGH for 2 to 3 minutes. Cool. Spread hazelnut spread over the brownies.