Cooking is such a personal activity each of us should feel the freedom to improvise.

Veronica is amazing in many ways. When it comes to food she is never afraid to experiment and try unusual combinations. This most often happens when she is out of an ingredient and does not have time to run to the store. Instead of making something else, she will use whatever she has in the cupboard as a substitute because she has the determination to finish what she started.

This surprised me completely because I thought I was atypical in being real offbeat in my habit of bringing together bizarre or odd foods. The most talented professional chefs I have employed do this frequently, and they are always able to pull it off successfully. Most home cooks do not think that way. Veronica and I both do and it works for us. It can for you as well.

I thought today I would share a couple of innovative pairings that are not really recipes but examples of how we just kind of “wing it” when it comes to cooking. Not only is it fun and exciting, but it is, most of the time, delicious.

Rarely, if ever, do I remember doing something in this vein that did not turn out to be highly edible, if not total mouthwatering ... so here goes, but remember, these are not recipes so I am just listing the ingredients because there never were any measurements. You just have to cook sometimes with what you have and by sight, touch, smell and taste.

Try it - you'll love it!

Veronica made an outstanding pot roast dinner, complete with mashed potatoes and fresh green beans plus the usual complements. The next night, she wanted pasta so she made sauce using the left over pot roast for a base. While she was putting it together, she added a can of crushed tomatoes, tasted it and found the tomatoes gave it a biter taste. She asked me for sugar. I told her I didn't use sugar for anything and didn't have any in the house but that my mother used carrots to sweeten her sauce. She said we didn't have and carrots either. I shrugged and kept doing whatever I was doing.

Only a few minutes later she told me dinner was ready. We sat down to this truly outstanding dinner. It had no trace of bitterness, so I asked her what she used. She giggled while admitting she found a bottle of Hershey's chocolate syrup and used that for her sweetener.

One day I found myself, after a workout, in need of quick protein and my usual diet of vegetables. My sister, Elmerina, had cooked fresh vegetables right out of our garden including tomatoes, zucchini, red and green peppers - sort of like a ratatouille. My sister-in-law, Beatrice, who is an outstanding cook, had made rice balls and dropped them off for us to enjoy. Great, but still no protein. Usually rice balls are served with extra marinara sauce to give them moisture because they can be a little dry by themselves. My lunch turned out so good I was wishing I had enough for the next day. It was as good and as balanced a meal as if I had planned it an hour in advance.

There you have it. Prepare your meals with imagination, combine what you have rather than feeling you have to strictly adhere to someone else's recipe. Come up with your own and be flexible.

My mother would never have done either of these things. She was the best cook I ever knew and everything she made was outstanding, but she would have planned in advance and made sure she had what she needed before she started cooking (or sent me to the store on my bicycle).

This is a different world we live in today - much more rushed. Life sometimes is so hectic we don't have time to plan so we should just “go with the flow.” I will never be as exceptional a cook as my mother, but we eat really well. I look forward to a lifetime of exploring new and unusual food ideas with Veronica, since we recently became engaged. Good food, cooking and entertaining is an important part of our adventure together!

Bob Leonardi, of Auburn, ran a successful restaurant business, catering, and gourmet food store in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., for 15 years .

Pasta with unconventional brown sauce

Left over pot roast

Salt for cooking pasta

Mushrooms, any kind

Sauce from the pot roast

Carrots or chocolate syrup to taste for a sweetener

Pasta of your choice (penne Rigate is good)

Onions, Vidalia or Spanish

Canned tomatoes, crushed or pureed

Romano grated cheese

Peel, cut and saute the onions until caramelized. Set aside onions and saute mushrooms. Add tomatoes to the pot

roast sauce. If using chocolate syrup add enough to take the bitterness out of the tomatoes and then combine everything together including the meat from the pot roast. If using

carrots, cook them until softened and then combine with the rest of the sauce. Have salted water on the stove simmering.

When sauce is almost ready, cook pasta in salted water

according to instructions, drain (always reserving a little of the cooking water just in case you need to thin your sauce). Toss with the sauce and add grated Romano cheese to taste. Enjoy with a nice glass of red wine.

Rice balls with ratatouille

Rice balls

Any kind of hard cheese (provolone is good)

Ratatouille or marinara sauce

Slice the rice balls in half and place cheese in center. Heat in oven or microwave until cheese melts. Heat ratatouille, marinara sauce or any red sauce. Spoon sauce over rice balls and enjoy.