Tried to makes some tuna-noodle casserole. Out of tuna. Substituted canned chicken for tuna. Out of cream of mushroom soup. Substituted cream of broccoli. My family jokingly dubbed the dish "chicken cordon green." I was 10 or 11 when that one worked out.

Learned in my late 20's that the real secret to a kickass marinara sauce is a single anchovy fillet that has been chopped into paste and added to the simmering sauce, with your aromatics.