This series has been such a complete and total joy project for me. As a whole, this SOS series has far exceeded my hopes and expectations. But mostly YOU have far exceeded my expectations. Your comments, your photos, your emails and comments and DMs about what this series means to you in your REAL ACTUAL LIFE… wow. What an honor to have a place in your kitchens, not only when things are awesome and inspired and fancy, but even moreso in the stressful, hard, and struggle-y SOS moments of life. It actually makes me get a little teary (lol) because a) this is just who I am as a person! fun! and b) I know what a lifeline delicious, EASY food can be, and c) emotion usually points to truth. And the truth is: this series has been both fun and really meaningful for me. I am so grateful for every minute you spent here, reading, making a recipe, watching a video, leaving a comment or a review, sharing your experiences of cooking through all the ups and downs of life. ♡ What a joy to share this food with you. With that, here’s a look back at the highlights from the SOS series.
What You’ve Made
Okay, well, in summary, you’ve made A LOT OF RECIPES. There’s too much to even capture in one blog post. You’d be scrolling for a long time. But here’s a quick sampling of all the deliciousness that came out of your kitchens during this series. Just makes me feel proud and happy and a little bit hungry.
What You’ve Said
You’ve also sent us a lot of BIG LOVE for this series and we are sending that BIG LOVE right back to you. The personal stories of why SOS-style cooking is important to you right now have just been so relatable and honest and I’ve loved getting a glimpse at not only what your kitchen life is like, but just your regular real life as a whole. ♡ Here’s a sampling of what you’ve said.
My Personal Favorite Recipe:
Hard to pick a favorite, but if you’re going to force me… My heart really belongs to the Chipotle Orange Shrimp with those zippy cucumbers. Something about the flavors and textures just really spoke to me. Shrimp cooks so fast, and it’s kind of light and warm-weather friendly, but that sauce is still creamy and luscious enough where it can work in a rainy-day comfort-food context. And even though it’s creamy and rich, it has BIG flavor and some smoky chipotle heat, and a little sweetness from the orange, and the cucumbers are just a match made in heaven with the whole thing. It was a little surprising and a lot delightful and I just loved it so much.
The Top-Rated Recipe:
Our top rated recipe in the series was the Harissa Meatballs with Whipped Feta! I mean, you’re not wrong. The flavors in this recipe are nothing short of amazing thanks to that spicy harissa and the salty, tangy whipped feta. This beauty gets a solid 5 stars from all of your reviews. @bonappetitbyaditi, working in that cauli rice is genius. Love it.
The Most Talked-About Recipe:
The most talked-about recipe in this series was the Crispy Black Bean Tacos with Cilantro Lime Slaw! Maybe it’s because it’s so ridiculously easy (hello, three ingredient filling) or maybe it’s just because crispy tacos are fun. Either way, this was our most buzzy recipe – between comments, emails, and even just real life family and friends, this was the one where people most frequently told us, “we made this and we loved it!” @sydney.gough, your sous chef deserves at least 5 tacos, and that baby bouncer in the living room is giving me some very relatable vibes.
The Most Popular Recipe On Social Media:
The most popular recipe on social media during this series was the Black Pepper Stir Fried Udon! If social media is any indication of what the people love, then we can clearly see that the people love spicy, steamy, saucy stir fried noodles. I loved seeing your variations – added ground meat, different veggies, etc. Truly working that SOS recipe style into your regular life and your regular fridge with your regular groceries that you already have and love. @becccading, your protein situation with the ground meat in there is looking mighty fine. I am here for it!
The Most Photographed Recipe:
The recipe we saw the most photos of during this series was the Pineapple Pork with Coconut Rice! Is it the crispy onions on top that makes this so photogenic? I mean, who can resist a good photo to the gram when you’ve got the green cilantro, the caramelized pork, and those little crispies up on top? @neesnoms, I salute you for those (accidental but awesome) additions of pickled jalapeno and pickled ginger. Go big or go home!
What’s Next?
We’ve gotten so many questions about (read: hardcore requests) to keep going with the SOS series. GIVE THE PEOPLE WHAT THEY WANT! People meaning also… myself! 😂 I have loved the SOS series so much, and while it’s ending for now and we are transitioning back to “normal” recipes that may or may not have more than the SOS-required 7 ingredients, the SOS recipe lifestyle is not completely going away. We’re already working on some NEW and AWESOME ways to make your SOS-cooking joyful and delicious, and I can’t say more than that yet because you know we bloggers gotta maintain a little mystery to keep things interesting. For now what I can say is… I hear you, I want more SOS, too, and stay tuned! If you’re not already on our email list, sign up so you don’t miss anything.
Want To Find All Your SOS Favorites In One Spot?
We compiled links and photos to all of the recipes in this series in our SOS Recipes That Will Save Dinner post. Or you can also see the full listing here:
Pineapple Pork with Coconut Rice Crispy Black Bean Tacos with Cilantro Lime Sauce BBQ Jackfruit Sandwiches Sheet Pan Shrimp and Cauli Rice Instant Pot Chicken and Dumplings House Favorite Brussels Sprouts Harissa Meatballs with Whipped Feta Beet and Burrata Salad with Fried Bread The Absolute Easiest Spinach and Artichoke Pizza Black Pepper Stir Fried Udon Basic + Awesome Chicken Quinoa Salad Spicy Salmon Burgers Creamy Garlic Sun-Dried Tomato Pasta Chipotle Orange Shrimp with Cilantro Rice Loaded BBQ Baked Potatoes
