Jeff Houck

The Tampa Tribune’s food writer since 2005, Jeff Houck covers the way people live through their food. He also hosts the Table Conversations food podcast and believes that everything crunchy is good.

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Sneaky Macaroni, Oreo Chocolate Chip Cookies, Bacon-Wrapped Meatloaf [This Week’s Weekend Eats]

Posted Feb 20, 2012 by Jeff Houck

Updated Feb 20, 2012 at 04:09 PM

Every week we do Weekend Eats and ask readers to share the best they had to eat and drink over the weekend, it gets increasingly harder to pick a winner.

Consider this week’s conundrum.

Do you go for the Oreo-stuffed chocolate chip cookie? Or the meatloaf swaddled in porkalicious bacon? How exactly do you break the news to someone who ate paella, Chorizo cazuela, chickpea & spinach with Moorish spices that, gee, you know, it just wasn’t the tip-top.

Because that would be a lie.

if I could give awards to the lot of them, I would. PRIZES FOR EVERYONE!

But I can’t.

So this week, I made the Sophie’s choice of giving this week’s top honor to Samantha Ferraro, who writes the blog Little Ferraro Kitchen, and can be found on Twitter at @FerraroKitchen, took the top prize this week with her Spicy Thai Coconut Soup with Shrimp.

Look at that bowl, would you? My goodness. I need a bib to catch the drool.

She writes about the soup on her blog:

I have been cooking out of my comfort zone the last few weeks; making spicy and flavorful authentic Asian soups and buying ingredients that don’t have one single word of English. It’s great.
I spotted this masterpiece in the most recent edition of Cooking Light and knew I had to jump in. We all order that spicy coconut soup at the local Thai place all the time…but making it at home…let’s do it!

Spicy and bright are the first two sensations that spark those tongue senses. Al-dente bites from the mushroom and red pepper stud through out the soup giving it delicious texture. A good squeeze of lime and sprinkles of fresh cilantro cut through the creaminess of the silky coconut milk. A gorgeous combination of Asian pairings that will rock your taste buds.

Her prize for that spectacular serving of soup?

“Seoultown Kitchen; Korean Pub Grub to Share with Family and Friends,” by Debbie Lee.

Other contributions this week included:

@divathatateny - Silky, slippery, sensuous rice noodles swimming in a pool of ground pork, chili, sichuan peppercorns, cilantro & roast peanuts. Yes, I did take a cold shower after I ate them…

@otmdish - Baby squid w chile-spiked heirloom tom sauce. broccoli rabe. Munched on Halfpops - My latest crush.

@SRowl - Spicy Thai peanut chicken

@terrysimpson - Slow-smoked ribs, grilled corn on the cob. Grilled asparagus.

Like I said. Tough to choose.

Want to see how tough? Check out this week’s Gallery of Noms. (Click on each photo to read a description):