Years and years ago, my family and my husband’s came to our house for Thanksgiving. It was a long trip, driving from Rochester and Troy, N.Y. When the children were fairly young, we could be up to 15 people for four days.

They arrived hungry and I had made a couple of lasagnas, garlic bread, an enormous salad and, if that wasn’t enough, dessert.

My parents are gone now, as are my in-laws. My husband is gone, too. My nieces, nephews, children and grandchildren are far away. Unfortunately, there is another, unwelcomed, visitor called COVID-19. I don’t want myself, nor anyone I love, to see this visitor so dinner will be quiet.

I will make this ravioli bake, which is smaller and easier than to make lasagna. I will make a turkey I have had in the big freezer since last Thanksgiving. I will fill its cavity with my own stuffing and make the gravy from the wine and butter and turkey juices. Usually friends come for dinner, but not this time. I will offer turkey and fixings and ravioli bake to friends. If it is warm enough, maybe friends can share a glass of hot cider on the patio or wine on the patio. And we can toast to new beginnings. And on the next column, some new leftover recipes. Happy Thanksgiving to you all.

Ravioli Bake with Peppers

Adapted from Stop & Shop’s magazine, Savory, September 2020

Serves 8

Cooking spray

2 cups part-skim ricotta cheese

1 large egg

1 tablespoon minced garlic

26-ounce can tomato sauce (or my one recipe, below)

1 bag frozen beef ravioli, divided

1 bag frozen red, yellow and/or orange peppers

1½ cups part-skim shredded mozzarella, divided

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Coat a 3-quart baking dish with cooking spray. In a medium bowl, combine ricotta, egg and garlic; season with salt and pepper.

Into a baking dish, spread ¾ cup pasta sauce. Top with a single layer of the ravioli, half of the ricotta mixture, half of the peppers, 1 cup sauce and half of the mozzarella. Repeat layers again with remaining ravioli, ricotta, peppers, sauce and mozzarella.

Cover baking dish tightly with foil. Bake 45 minutes, until ravioli is hot and cheese is melted. Remove foil and bake another 10 minutes. Remove from oven and let sit 10 minutes before serving.

Cook’s Tip: Rather than frozen, I would use fresh peppers, maybe one of each. Cut up the tops and bottoms, seed them, then saute them in heated extra-virgin olive oiled skillet with chopped onions and garlic just until a translucent, but not browned, maybe 10 minutes, stirring.

My Own Marinara

This is my go-to recipe. This makes more than the recipe above requires. Of course, it freezes well.

Makes enough for eggplant parm or some leftover to have with eggs the next morning.

4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

1 large onion, chopped fine

4 large garlic cloves, minced

2 28-ounce cans excellent whole canned tomatoes (I use Muir Glen, available at BJs)*

Salt and pepper, to taste

Few shakes of red pepper flakes (optional)

In a large skillet, warm olive oil over medium heat. Pour in onions and saute until just translucent, about 5 to 6 minutes. Add garlic and cook for another 2 to 3 minutes. Pour in tomatoes and cook for about 10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Add red pepper flakes, if you like it a bit spicy.

On the Side

My daughter flew in recently, and I knew she'd want something to eat. On the way down from Logan, I asked her to look at the Sneekers' menu and I would get takeout for us. She chose a Cobb salad. So I ordered two and the waitress dropped it to me on my car.

This one had Mexican notes: it was in a tortilla bowl, with lots of lettuces, a hard-boiled eggs, blackened chicken, black olives, onions and bacon and sweet corn. We sat and talked and finished this incredible dinner, then had sweet Halo tangerines for dessert. My favorite Cobb is at Jack Rabbit's, but Sneekers may be tied for first.

Sneekers

568 Poquonnock Road, Groton

(860) 445-1967

Lee White lives in Groton. She can be reached at leeawhite@aol.com.