What: Corti Brothers frozen cheese or meat ravioli

Why: Because you can't always cook from scratch, and these are tender little pillows of yumminess just waiting in your freezer to be boiled up. The cheese filling is a light, mild ricotta that goes well with a robust tomato sauce or a simple dressing of olive oil, garlic, and Parmesan. Buy them frozen and cook straight from the freezer. The pasta becomes al dente and not chewy, which is a real plus in frozen ravioli. Plus, don't you just love the retro package styling?

Where: Corti Brothers, 5810 Folsom Boulevard, in the freezer case