That’s right. Those containers of recently munched on Chinese food, that uneaten slab of beef those leftover stir fry veggies or the vodka sauce from last night’s pasta can all help you harness the power of the pizza gods and bestow upon you a terrific tasting, one of a kind pizza.

Not sold on using leftovers to make pizza? An added bonus of making “leftovers” pizza is that it simplifies the pizza making process; allowing pizza to take its rightful place as the mid-week, after work, after grad-school, after the gym dinner that it was intended to be.

Before you go all willy-nilly-mad-scientist on your pizza, you might consider the following:

• Don’t overtop your pizza
Imagine, if you will, what the bottom of your oven will look like caked with pizza toppings. Or worse, how your pants or shirt will look stained with pizza sauce. Despite my personal beliefs, pizza stained clothes never impress or so I am told.

• Don’t mix flavors that taste bad together
Braunsweiger and peanut butter or how about sweet and sour chicken and refried beans? Unless you are under attack by mid-pregnancy flavor cravings,it’s better to stick with the flavor pairings that you already know and love.

• Avoid wet soggy leftovers if possible
While this may seem like a no brainer, cold items can fool you. Even a mildly moist item may leak fluid when heated.

• Experimenting with pizza toppings is always fun
It is always fun to experiment with pizza toppings to create new pizza recipes. Try changing your cheese combinations; who is up for an asiago/fontina blend over beef and broccoli leftovers? Maybe add a little cheddar, brie, or chabichou du poitou to your mozzarella topping to spice things up a bit.

Using leftover pizza recipes can be a fun, fast, easy way to enjoy the original meal a second time, not to mention that it will free up room in the fridge. Who knows when you will create the ultimate pizza recipe that will transform pizza forever. Or most likely, you will just have a terrific pizza dinner and a wonderful pizza recipe.***