Monthly Archives: August 2014

Fun Bonfire Treats

Posted in Cookies & Desserts, Travel by

As I mentioned in my last post, my family and I just returned from our annual trip to the Oregon Coast, where we spent three (rather chilly) days making sandcastles, eating massive amounts of saltwater taffy, and warming ourselves next to smoldering bonfires. Our beachside dinners are nothing special; just the typical grilled hot dogs, store-bought potato salad, and, of course, s’mores. But the s’mores, mind you, we take very seriously. Between my nephew’s raging sweet tooth and my dad’s brilliant homemade bonfire forks, s’mores have quickly become the main attraction of our trip. This year I decided to shake things up a bit with two different flavors of s’mores, which we started referring to as G’mores (gourmet s’mores). Both variations (Strawberries & Cream and Triple Chocolate) got the seal of approval from my sugar-obsessed nephew (and the rest of the clan), which was all the taste-testing I needed. So with tomorrow being Labor Day and the vast majority of us camping or grilling out, why not try a new twist on this all-American favorite? Continue reading →

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Soup Bowl Recipes Goes to the Beach!

Posted in Travel by

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Happy Labor Day weekend, everyone! I’ve been a little slow to post this past week because we just returned from vacation and I’ve been buried under piles of laundry and welcome-home-chores, however, I’m back and I’m ready to share our trip with you.

As I said, we just returned from our annual summer trip to the Pacific Northwest (home for us) and our yearly pilgrimage to the beach. Every summer my entire extended family packs up their shovels & pails, camping gear (although we never end up camping out on the beach), and my dad’s custom campfire forks (more about that in a later post) and heads south to the Oregon Coast. Although there are many salty, windswept towns to lodge in, we always stay at Cannon Beach. Located just 80 miles NW of Portland and 200 miles due South of Seattle, this seaside town provides miles and miles of beautiful beach, tons of great restaurants, and more shops and art galleries than you can shake a stick at. Take a look at some of the highlights of our trip…

A panoramic view of Cannon Beachimage Continue reading →

Chocolate Cake Cookies

Posted in Cookies & Desserts, Vegetarian by

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Do you remember those Birthday Cake Cookies I posted last month? Well the other day while I was shopping for inspiration in the baking aisle of my grocery store, I spotted a particularly tempting box of chocolate cake mix and thought, “Man that looks good! I want some of that.” (In my defense, it was before lunch and I was starving.) So I bought the cake mix, brought it home, then later that day (once I had eaten) I realized that I was not going to bake a cake any time soon, and whipped up a batch of cookies instead. After eating one cookie (three cookies) and feeling guilty for a few minutes (for the rest of the day), I packed up the remaining cookies and sent them to work with my husband (because really, who was I kidding with thinking that I could resist eating every single one?). Now what’s the moral of this story, you ask? Hmmm…I’m not quite sure, other than you should never go grocery shopping on an empty stomach. Or maybe it’s that Birthday Cake Cookies can quickly become Everyday Cake Cookies when the mood strikes. Regardless, these easy-to-make morsels can be whipped up for something as small as a mid-afternoon chocolate craving, or for something as big as a celebration, like maybe…the celebration of your 100th blog post?! Yep, you read it correctly, folks, this is Soup Bowl Recipes’ 100th post! (Applause and cheering in the background.) Continue reading →

Shrimp Ceviche

Posted in Appetizers & Sides, Eating Healthy, Main Dishes, Seafood by

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Ceviche is a traditional Peruvian dish made of chopped seafood (usually shrimp, scallops, or geoduck), citrus juice, and a few other salsa-like ingredients. It’s delicious, it’s refreshing, and it’s really easy to make. So easy, in fact, that it cooks itself! You see, by combining citric acid with raw seafood, you’re able to cure the shellfish in a flavorful lemon/lime bath and essentially “cook” it without actually using heat, making it the perfect summer snack food during these hot August days. Now, I’m not sure what it is in the acid that causes the little fishy proteins to magically change, but it’s pretty cool to watch the uncooked shrimp slowly turn pink before your very eyes. I considered doing some extensive online research on this cooking method and then blowing you away with my vast knowledge on the subject, but that sounded exhausting. Instead, I’m including a link for some extra credit reading for those of you really interested in learning something new today. Continue reading →

Grilled Teriyaki Chicken Sandwich

Posted in Main Dishes, Sandwiches by

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I’m a little embarassed to admit it, but this recipe was inspired by a sandwich that I used to order whenever I ate at Red Robin (which was twice a week when I was in college… a million years ago). After I graduated and had to support myself on my meager wages as a wedding planner, I was forced to stop my over-indulgent bi-weekly dining habits, and learn how to feed myself. This teriyaki chicken sandwich was probably the first copycat recipe that I ever attempted, and because it’s so easy and delicious, it’s also the longest running copycat recipe that I’ve ever attempted. Over the years I’ve tweaked the teriyaki ingredients a little, but the other components (pineapple, Swiss cheese, and mayo) have all stayed the same. And you know what? Call me sentimental, but this oldie-but-goodie is still one of my favorites! Continue reading →

Chocolate Martini

Posted in Beverages, Cookies & Desserts, Vegetarian by

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Well congratulations, friends, it’s Friday and we’ve made it through yet another busy work week, which means it’s time to celebrate!  But tonight, instead of opening a bottle of wine and polishing off that bag of Chips Ahoy, why not class up your routine a bit and concoct something more interesting – like this super decadent dessert in a glass?! Continue reading →

Tomato-Watermelon Gazpacho (with a kick!)

Posted in Appetizers & Sides, Eating Healthy, Main Dishes, Soups, Vegetarian by

When I created this blog nearly 8 months ago, I was living in Kansas and knee-deep in one of the bitterest winters the Mid-West had seen in years. At the time, my family and I were surviving on weekly soups and hearty meals to keep ourselves warm, so it seemed perfect to name my food blog SoupBowlRecipes! It was an obvious choice for someone who was freezing and didn’t have the foresight to consider that they would eventually move to one of the hottest states on the planet, where, for at least 6 months out of the year, the thought of making soup is unbearable. And now here we are in Texas, in mid-August, where the temperature for the past few weeks has been hovering around 100°F and shows no signs of breaking. So what’s a girl supposed to do? Well, what every good soup blogger does when life hands them lemons – make lemonade! Or in this case, I’m taking my farmers’ market tomatoes and making a refreshing gazpacho! Continue reading →

Cider Salmon in Parchment

Posted in Eating Healthy, Main Dishes, Seafood by

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Howdy, ya’ll! Sooo…it’s Monday again, and if you guys are anything like me, you may have gone a bit overboard on the indulgent eating this weekend, and perhaps are feeling a little sluggish and somewhat guilty about it today. Well, I’ve got good news for you! It’s the beginning of a new week, which means you get to start fresh, plan some delicious meals, and get back on that healthy-eating wagon I like to call “The Never Ending Summer Diet.” Continue reading →

Olive Stuffed Arancini

Posted in Appetizers & Sides, Main Dishes, Travel, Vegetarian by

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Arancini is a traditional Sicilian dish made of little balls of rice that have been rolled in seasoned breadcrumbs, then fried in oil. Yum, right?!  The rice (or risotto) can be left as-is or stuffed with a variety of tidbits like cheese, ham, peas, or my personal favorite, olives. The first time I tasted one of these mouthwatering flavor bombs was on a walking food tour through Greenwich Village while I was living in Manhattan. I was handed this crispy round thing that looked a little bit like a hushpuppy, but was so much better. Since then, I’ve seen them on menus at the occasional Italian restaurant, but not nearly as much as I’d like to (seriously, these things need to become more mainstream!) – so I decided to make them myself. And share them with you. Because I’m nice like that. Continue reading →

Chicken in Parchment

Posted in Eating Healthy, Main Dishes, Stuff My Kid Eats by

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The other night I made one of my all-time-favorite weeknight dishes, Chicken in Parchment, and I thought, Holy cow! This is a super easy, super delicious, super healthy meal — why haven’t I shared it with my readers yet?! And the answer is…I have no idea, because it’s totally something you guys will love. The only special element this recipe requires is parchment paper, which many of us have in our kitchens anyway, and a some mad scissor skills (but if you can cut a paper heart, your golden!). Honestly, this is the most flavorful and healthy way I’ve found to cook white meat. You see, baking the chicken (or fish, which I’ll post next week) in parchment packets, with just a trace amount of liquid, allows you to steam the meat in it’s own broth, making it really moist and tender — kind of like a personal sauna for your chicken. Continue reading →