I love coming up with new taste combinations by "cleaning out the refrigerator," mixing together bits and pieces into a new dish. I often do this on Fridays - my husband and I like to kick back by talking about our week over a bottle of wine and whatever meal I throw together. It is almost always pasta - it's easy and serves as a great base for these "end of week" creations.
This is what jumped out of the fridge last night: one red pepper, part of a tomato, some creamy tomato sauce I had made the night before (tomato sauce, sour cream and goat cheese pureed in the food processor), some olives, mint, lime wedges  and one spicy thai chili pepper. I had garlic, onion and some thawed shrimp on hand. So I roasted the garlic, onion and pepper in the oven (brushed with a little olive oil and sprinkle of seasoned salt), then squeezed some lime over the tomato, shrimp and some chopped olives and placed this on the same baking sheet, which I popped back in the oven until the shrimp was cooked through. Then I immediately mixed in the chili pepper and mint. I added it all to the warm pasta and then stirred in the creamy tomato sauce - viola! Not bad for a thrown-together dinner - the chili pepper really gave some nice spice - subtle, not overpowering. It paired well with an unoaked, interesting Italian white - Visionario Bianco Delle Venezie - a lush, creamy start with a citrusy finish.