Jalapeno Pizza — When Taco Tuesday Takes a Sharp Left Turn

Easter weekend. The base chapel was packed. Ryan was on duty at Miramar. Standard week.

Caleb, 8, wants to be a firefighter still. Has not deviated. Hazel, 4, chaos incarnate. Put a peanut butter sandwich in the DVD player Wednesday. Showed zero remorse.

Taco Tuesday. The kids' favorite. Ground beef, hard shells, the works.

Ryan came home from work. Dinner was on the stove. The basics held.

I sat at the kitchen table Tuesday night writing in the journal. Volume 11 now. The handwriting has not gotten neater. The journals are a record of the life I am living, in the moment, in tiny script that I will look back on someday and not be able to read. That is okay. The writing was the thing.

Reading another military memoir at night. They make Ryan tense. They steady me. We negotiate. He doesn't ask what I'm reading. I don't tell him. The arrangement works.

Caleb watched the firefighters at a school visit Wednesday and came home buzzing. He is going to be one. I have known this since he was four. Some kids tell you who they are early.

Donna sent a recipe card in the mail this week. She has been doing this for years. The recipes go in the binder. The binder is full. The newest one is for a green bean casserole that uses fresh green beans and fried shallots and which I will absolutely make for the next holiday.

The PCS rumors are starting again. The official orders will come in a few months. We could move. We could stay. The waiting is the worst part. Three years here and I have learned to not put down deep roots in any military town. Nineteen-year-old me would not have believed how good I have gotten at packing.

My therapy session was Tuesday. We talked about the deployment cycle and the way the body holds dread and the ways the body holds it. The hour passed. The work continues. I have been doing this work for years. The work pays.

The kids' soccer game was Saturday morning. The other parents brought oranges and Capri Suns. I brought a thermos of coffee for myself and a folding chair I bought at Target three years ago that has been to four duty stations now. The chair is a more loyal companion than some of my friends.

I went for a walk Sunday morning before the kids got up. Half an hour. The fog was burning off. I needed it. Some weeks I get the walk in. Some weeks I don't. The week tells me which.

I unpacked another box from storage Tuesday afternoon. Three years on this base and I am still finding things I packed in Twentynine Palms. Military-wife archeology — every box is a layer of geological history. I found a ceramic dish from Lejeune still wrapped in newspaper from 2020.

Ryan came home tired Wednesday. He showered, ate, sat on the couch, was asleep by eight. Standard for a Marine who has been up since four-thirty for PT and stayed late for a brief. The schedule is the schedule. The body adapts because it has to.

Ryan went to his counselor Wednesday. He always comes home calmer. I am calm too, just from him being calm. The man Torres was killed with — Ryan calls his wife twice a year on Torres's birthday and the anniversary. The military widows are their own community.

Caleb's school had a fundraiser this week. I baked cookies because I always bake cookies. The cookies were the standard chocolate chip. They sold out in twenty minutes. I am the cookie mom of this PTO and I have stopped fighting it.

Taco Tuesday held its ground this week — as it always does — but the jalapenos in the fridge were staring at me by Thursday with that particular look of vegetables that have made a decision about their future. I’ve been the kind of person who keeps taco night sacred and then quietly improvises around the edges, and this jalapeno pizza is exactly that: the same heat, the same weeknight chaos, just with a different vehicle. Caleb approved. Hazel attempted to put a slice somewhere she shouldn’t. We move forward.

Jalapeno Pizza

Prep Time: 15 min | Cook Time: 15 min | Total Time: 30 min | Servings: 4

Ingredients

• 1 lb pizza dough, store-bought or homemade
• 1/2 cup pizza sauce
• 1 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
• 1/2 lb ground beef, browned and drained
• 3–4 fresh jalapenos, thinly sliced (seeds removed for less heat)
• 1/4 cup pickled jalapeno slices (optional, for extra tang)
• 1/4 red onion, thinly sliced
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
• 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes (optional)
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• Fresh cilantro or parsley, for garnish

Instructions

1. Preheat oven. Preheat your oven to 475°F (245°C). If using a pizza stone, place it in the oven while it heats.
2. Brown the beef. In a skillet over medium-high heat, cook the ground beef until no pink remains, breaking it apart as it cooks. Season with garlic powder and smoked paprika. Drain excess fat and set aside.
3. Prep the dough. On a lightly floured surface, stretch or roll the pizza dough into a 12-inch round. Transfer to a greased baking sheet or hot pizza stone.
4. Brush with oil. Drizzle or brush the olive oil over the dough, then spread the pizza sauce evenly, leaving a 1/2-inch border around the edge.
5. Layer the toppings. Scatter the mozzarella evenly over the sauce. Distribute the seasoned ground beef, then arrange the fresh jalapeno slices and red onion over the top. Add pickled jalapenos if using. Sprinkle with red pepper flakes if desired.
6. Bake. Bake for 13–15 minutes, until the crust is golden and the cheese is bubbling with light brown spots.
7. Finish and serve. Remove from oven and let rest 2 minutes. Top with fresh cilantro or parsley, slice, and serve immediately.

Nutrition (per serving)

Calories: 480 | Protein: 26g | Fat: 19g | Carbs: 48g | Fiber: 3g | Sodium: 740mg