What packaged good have you successfully doctored?

Call it the Sandra Lee school of cooking, wherein canned or packaged ingredients merge with fresh additions to become something better than their likely destiny from the moment they were vacuum-sealed.

We are not all doctors; we just play them in the kitchen. Our cars have gotten too complicated, and our cell phones can no longer be opened for repairs, so for a bit of tinkering, we turn to our last refuge: the stovetop. If you need any more proof, consider the theme for the first issue of Lucky Peach — restaurateur David Chang’s new food magazine. The guy pushing the boundaries of cuisine in New York City devotes the entire issue to the art of improving ramen noodles. So, what’s been your greatest success when it comes to giving life to a pantry of ingredients that, at first glance, seems dead on arrival?