Just recently I made a pretty decent spread for bread by pureeing a jar of spicy green olives with a package of sun-dried tomatoes, and a bit of olive oil and lemon juice. Salt and peppered to taste, of course. Call it tapenade and you'll impress your guests. After all, everything should taste good or why bother. A little bit of this or some more of that.
Good cooking involves experimentation, which makes cooking fun too.
For me, it all started with those potato chip sandwiches. Here's a recipe you can use for holiday entertaining that resulted from my experimentation. If you decide to make it, I wouldn't follow the recipe to the letter. Add something new or eliminate something I've included. Remember, we're supposed to eat, drink AND be merry this time of year.