That's a Wrap: Highlights From The SOS Series - Pinch of Yum
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That’s a Wrap: Highlights From The SOS Series

This series has been such a complete and total joy project for me. I am so grateful for every minute you spent here, reading, making a SOS recipe, watching a video, leaving a comment or a review, and sharing your experiences. What a joy to share this food with you!

Collage of nine SOS series recipes with a box in the middle that says "The SOS Series Recap"

Click here to see all of our SOS recipes!


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.

Mega collage of several SOS recipes Pinch of Yum readers made in the last couple months.

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.

I love this series!!!! My husband is an orthopedic surgery resident and I work full-time outside the home plus take care of a 3.5 and 1.5 year old. We are living off of these meals! You do so much more than just publish recipe, you help people like me, thank you thank you thank you!

Molly

“Thanks so much for all the effort you put into delicious food recipes. I am enjoying your new SOS series. Even though I am a senior, I believe they are beneficial to us older folks also, especially those (me) with mobility issues, sometimes we need something quick and easy.” 

Yvonne

I AM LOVING the SOS series! I have a two year old and a 4 year old and lets just say I have good intentions for dinner but by 5:30 after daycare pickup I am just looking for something asap. Thank you thank you for these recipes!

Jocelyn

I am all about this recipe series, guys! Tonight we went to the store. It was late and my fiance wanted to stop and get fast food on the way home. SOS! I convinced him that we were going to make this recipe and it was going to be easy. Fast forward thirty minutes: he went upstairs, convinced that dinner would never be ready. I called him down to a plate of freshly fried tacos drizzled with cilantro lime sauce. They were amazing and we both devoured them, then immediately added them to our favorite recipes page. Yet another Pinch of Yum winner!

Katie

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.

Collage of reader recipes of Harissa Meatballs with Whipped Feta recipe followed by reader recipe comments.

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.

Collage of reader recipe pictures of Crispy Black Bean Tacos recipe followed by reader recipe comments.

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!

Collage of reader pictures of Black Pepper Stir Fried Udon recipe followed by reader recipe comments.

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!

Collage of reader images of Pineapple Pork with Coconut Rice recipe followed by reader comments.

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:

Filed Under: SOS Series

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29 Comments

  1. Pinch of Yum Logo

    This series is the bomb! We’ve made about half of the recipes and the rest are on our list. Thank you!

  2. Pinch of Yum Logo

    A LOT of these recipes made it in to our regular rotation. I love the way I can get real dinner on the table without feeling like I phoned it in or resorting to take-out. I echo the message you’ve heard from others. Love it and keep it coming!

    1. Pinch of Yum Logo

      Great feedback, Elizabeth! Thanks so much for following along with the series!

  3. Pinch of Yum Logo

    I made the black pepper udon and liked it a lot. My husband gushed over it. My kids were less enthused, but they are works in progress ;). I used broccoli in the noodles and served them as a side for simple seared salmon, which was a great pair. Thanks! I will try the pork next week.

  4. Pinch of Yum Logo

    We loved this series, too, and heartily devoured these recipes. Our favorites were the sheet pan shrimp, the chicken and dumplings and the baked potatoes. Orange shrimp not far behind. And we have a few that we haven’t tried yet. Definitely making them all. Thank you for making dinner easy and delicious!!

  5. Pinch of Yum Logo

    I love your SOS series it really helps me to arrange my hectic schedule along with my job as a caregiver. Thanks a lot and keep up the good work.

  6. Pinch of Yum Logo

    Huge fan of this series. I have made almost every single recipe now. I don’t have babies, but I do have a full time job and I live alone, so I don’t the time or money to spend food (and I like cooking and try to eat sort of healthy-ish) so this series this a real live safer. (I use a lot substitutions though because we don’t have Aldi here in Arizona)

  7. Pinch of Yum Logo

    I love your SOS series it truly assists me with organizing my chaotic timetable alongside my occupation as a Sales and Marketing Executive. Much appreciated and keep doing awesome.

  8. Pinch of Yum Logo

    I enjoy your SOS series because it helps me organise my hectic schedule while working as a Search Engion Optimizer. Much appreciated, and keep up the good work. Thanks 

  9. Pinch of Yum Logo

    This is a fantastic series. I’ve tried almost every recipe now. I don’t have children, but I work full-time and live alone, so I don’t have the time or money to spend on food.

  10. Pinch of Yum Logo

    Hey, I hope all will be fine. By the way, I love your SOS series a lot. It helped me a lot to change over my breathtaking schedule with my content-creating job. Any How it really matters to me. Thanks

  11. Pinch of Yum Logo

    It’s been very pleasure to read such an informative and some sort of motivational article post. I love your SOS series it actually helps me to prepare my irritating time table alongside my job as a caregiver. Thanks a lot and maintain the precise work.

  12. Pinch of Yum Logo

    It makes me so happy to know you liked the black pepper udon. It’s wonderful that your wife enjoyed it as well. The children’s tastes will change over time. It sounds fantastic with broccoli and seared salmon as a side dish. I’m eager to learn about your upcoming culinary exploration. Continue your excellent cooking!

  13. Pinch of Yum Logo

    It’s heartwarming to hear that this series has brought you so much joy and fulfillment. Sharing your passion for food and cooking with others can create a wonderful sense of community and connection.

    1. Pinch of Yum Logo

      I would like to say that when it comes to Most Popular Recipe On Social Media, craving has been altered. For Infants, Teething Tubes have been wonderful additions to our craft endeavors as parents. While we are being creative, they offer our children a calming and secure outlet.

  14. Pinch of Yum Logo

    It makes me so happy to know you liked the black pepper udon. It’s wonderful that your wife enjoyed it as well. The children’s tastes will change over time. It sounds fantastic with broccoli and seared salmon as a side dish. I’m eager to learn about your upcoming culinary exploration. Continue your excellent cooking!

  15. Pinch of Yum Logo

    without feeling like I phoned it in or resorting to take-out. I echo the message you’ve heard from others. Love it and keep it coming!

  16. Pinch of Yum Logo

    without feeling like I phoned it in or resorting to take-out. I echo the message you’ve heard from others. Love it and keep it coming!