ok, i made the monkey bread. i used breakfast rolls. you get them at aldi. so far it's the only place i have found in england that carries them. what they are: uncooked bread rolls in a cardboard tube which you then peel open. if you have never used them before take note- they pop when you break the seam. no matter how many tubes of these things i open it still startles me. so you open the tube. i then cut each roll in half and then each half into 3. i toss them in the sugar mix and then place in the biggest oven safe bowl you have. trust me- these things rise up when you cook them. my recipe is a little different than the one i posted up
monkey bread

• 2 tubes of biscuits or bread rolls
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 2/3 cup white sugar
• 1 tablespoon cinnamon
• 2/3 cup butter type product (butter, margarine)
• 1/4 cup chopped walnuts

put the brown sugar and butter in a small sauce pot and set on low heat to melt. stir together
mix the white sugar and cinnamon together in a small bowl. cut the rolls up as explained earlier and put in the sugar mixture. stir around so they are nice and coated. put coated pieces of dough in the bottom of your oven safe dish/bowl/whaterever- just make sure it's big, or use two smaller ones. i sprinkle in walnut pieces between each dough layer. once all the dough pieces are in the oven dish, pour the melted butter/sugar mixture over top and place in the oven to cook. take out when done. turn out onto a plate to cool. be very very careful when turning the cake out. the butter sugar mix is super hot.

there is usually extra sugar and cinnamon mix left over. i save that for my next baking project. it's also wicked good sprinkled on toasted bread with some butter spread on it.
also today i made a batch of ratatouile and some pear sauce. pear sauce is just like the other fruit sauces. peel and cut up the fruit, stick in a sauce pan with a little water and simmer until the fruit is soft. puree with a stick blender. it's a great way to 'save' fruit that has gone a bit mushy or bruised. instead of tossing it out, turn it into sauce.
ratatouile
for dinner i decided that i would do manicotti again since my motherinlaw has never had it.
manicotti

rattailstewie

well it's not really rattailstewie, it's ratatouile, or my version of it at least.

1/2 a yellow pepper diced
1/2 a green pepper diced
1 small zucchini diced
1/2 a small eggplant diced
white button mushroom chopped up- usually in quarters is fine
1 carton of chopped tomatoes
not pictured is my onion, 1 small onion chopped
seasonings- i don't really measure these, i just add what looks right so to help you out i'll say 1 tablespoon dried parsley, 1/2 teaspoon onion powder, 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder, 1 teaspoon basil, 1 teaspoon oregano. tiny bit of chili powder, 1 bay leaf. i also do a squirt of garlic paste from the tube and a huge squirt of tomato paste

once you get the veggie chopped up i toss them in my sauce pot with a splash of olive oil and the garlic paste on medium high. i stir them around until the mushrooms and onions are looking soft. i add the dried seasonings, except the bay leaf. i give everything a stir. when things are starting to stick to the bottom of the pan i add my chopped tomatoes. i then add about a can of water. i turn down the heat to low. i add the bay leaf and tomato paste. i let everything simmer for at least an hour. it may seem at first that you didn't add enough water but the zucchini and rest of the veg release a lot when it cooks. it's done when everything is tender. i don't add salt or ground pepper to my dishes normally when i cook them because a lot of this stuff i feed my toddler. i add that when it's on my plate.

now for the sausages you cook them how you like separately and add to the veggie when the dish is complete, or if you're not vegetarian like me you can add them to the pot and cook them before adding the veggie. also good with chicken or fish. i blend some of the veggie up in a bowl and add cooked meat for my son. serve over rice or pasta. since i was feeling lazy last night i ate mine over a small plate of french fries with some grated cheese- totally delicious. i usually just eat it with a hunk of garlic bread- dipping the bread in as a spoon