10-Minute Skillet Pizza

Jayden turned sixteen months old this week and celebrated by learning the word "no." Not as a response — as a lifestyle. "Jayden, come here." "No." "Jayden, eat your peas." "No." "Jayden, do you love Mama?" "No." He doesn't mean it. He's just discovered the power of refusal, and he's drunk on it. I remember Chloe's "no" phase. It lasted approximately fourteen months. I'm buckling in.

I got the brake pads replaced. Finally. Kevin had been texting me about it every three days like a one-man public safety campaign. $187 at the shop in East Nashville that Marcus used to work at — which was awkward, because the guy behind the counter knew me and said, "Marcus still owes me twenty bucks." Cool. Add it to the list of things Marcus owes people. I paid for my brakes like an adult and drove home on pads that didn't sound like the car was dying, and the silence was the most beautiful thing I'd heard in months.

Chloe is deep into a "why" phase. "Why is the sky blue, Mama?" "Why do dogs bark?" "Why do we have to eat vegetables?" "Why did Daddy leave?" That last one hit me in the produce section at Kroger, right between the bananas and the apples, and I stood there holding a bunch of grapes and tried to answer a question that doesn't have an answer. I said, "Sometimes people make choices that aren't about us. It wasn't about you, baby." She said, "Okay," and asked for grapes. Kids process and move on. I was still thinking about it at midnight.

This week I cooked one of Earline's recipes from the recipe box — the one for fried pork chops. Bone-in, seasoned with salt, pepper, garlic powder, and a little paprika, dredged in flour, fried in a cast iron skillet with enough oil to make a cardiologist cry. Earline's handwriting on the card just says: "Pork chops — season, flour, fry. Don't burn em." That's the whole recipe. That woman believed in brevity and hot oil and trusting your instincts. I made them with mashed potatoes from a box (Earline would forgive me; Mama would not) and canned green beans. It tasted like Sunday dinner at a house I never got to visit because Earline died before I was old enough to remember her kitchen. But I have her skillet. And her recipes. And her stubbornness. That's enough.

I've started mentally preparing for school. I bought a backpack at Goodwill — a plain black JanSport that looks like every backpack I carried in high school except this time I'm carrying it with purpose instead of obligation. I also bought a pack of pens and a notebook and wrote "SARAH MITCHELL — DENTAL HYGIENE" on the inside cover like a declaration. Like if I write it down enough times, it becomes real. It is real. It's becoming real. Four more weeks.

After I made Earline’s pork chops, I left the cast iron skillet out on the stove because it felt wrong to put it away — like closing a good book too soon. Chloe had been asking for pizza all week in the persistent, low-grade way only four-year-olds can sustain, and Jayden will eat anything that arrives in under ten minutes before his patience gives out entirely. Turns out a cast iron skillet that just fried pork chops is more than happy to make pizza next — Earline’s philosophy of trusting your tools and keeping it simple holds up even when the recipe isn’t hers.

Prep Time: 3 minutes | Cook Time: 7 minutes | Total Time: 10 minutes | Servings: 2–3

Ingredients

1 pre-made pizza dough ball (store-bought, about 8 oz), room temperature
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/3 cup pizza sauce or marinara
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
1/4 cup mini pepperoni (or toppings of choice)
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon dried Italian seasoning
Pinch of red pepper flakes (optional)
Fresh basil for garnish (optional)

Instructions

Heat the skillet. Place a 10–12 inch cast iron skillet over medium-high heat and add the olive oil. Let it heat for about 1 minute until shimmering.
Shape the dough. On a lightly floured surface, press and stretch the dough by hand into a rough circle slightly smaller than your skillet. It doesn’t need to be perfect — rustic is fine.
Start the bottom crust. Carefully lay the dough into the hot skillet. Cook undisturbed for 2–3 minutes, until the bottom is golden and beginning to set. Lift an edge with a spatula to check — you want a deep golden-brown color.
Add toppings. Reduce heat to medium. Spread pizza sauce evenly over the top of the dough, leaving a 1/2-inch border. Sprinkle with garlic powder and Italian seasoning, then layer on the mozzarella and pepperoni (or your toppings of choice).
Cover and melt. Place a lid or large sheet of foil loosely over the skillet. Cook for 3–4 more minutes, until the cheese is fully melted and bubbling and the bottom crust is crisp and cooked through.
Slice and serve. Slide the pizza onto a cutting board. Let it rest for 1 minute, then slice into wedges. Top with red pepper flakes and fresh basil if desired. Serve immediately.

Nutrition (per serving)

10-Minute Skillet Pizza — Earline’s cast iron had one more trick up its sleeve