Peanut/Walnut, Bacon, and Chicken Fried Rice

I decided to make fried rice which is a common recipe that goes throughout my family. In the recipe, it calls for a cup of peanuts per serving of fried rice. Before we get started, let me give you a little cooking tip. Set out all of the ingredients AND utensils that you will be using by looking at the recipe. Once you set them all out you will know what (if anything) you need to get/buy before starting the dish. Since we make fried rice at my house a lot, I usually skip this precaution because I'm so familiar with us having all the needed ingredients. But as I was cooking the bacon and onions, I reached into my cabinet to find that we had run out of peanuts.The next best thing was a bag of chopped walnuts that we bought in bulk from WinCo. I was in a hurry because the peanuts have to soften with the bacon before you move on with the recipe. I poured the walnuts in as a substitute and didn't think that there would be much of a difference. After this step the recipe calls for you to "create a well in the middle of the bacon and peanut pile and pour in the egg, scrambling quickly and mixing together ingredients" (Family Recipe). I used my spatula to gather all the ingredients and brought them to the middle of the pan. From there, I made an indent in the mountain of bacon, shredded chicken, onions, and walnuts. I poured the egg in the middle of it and let it sit on the heat for a few seconds. Then I stirred it all together. From there I added the rest of the ingredients: Rice, sliced water chestnuts, minced garlic, cayenne, paprika, and red wine vinegar. I incorporated the sauce mixture (soy sauce, teriyaki sauce, sweet and sour sauce, minced garlic, sliced green onions, distilled white vinegar, and sesame seeds) in tablespoons at a time until it all came together. I let it cool off a little before I scooped some into a bowl. I have always loved this recipe, but the walnuts dulled the flavor in my opinion. I know now that for that particular recipe, peanuts would best suit it. It was still good, but the peanuts brought out flavors while the walnuts absorbed and destroyed it.

Have you ever had to use a substitution while cooking? If so, did it taste even better than the original?