Anytime the weather is warm, and a Summer breeze is blowing on the bayou, it is the time to party! So says Rudolph and Dancer... and boy do we have some great parties! Of course, no party would be complete without boiling up a couple dozen pounds of crawfish or shrimp. Now whether you are a traveling Elf, or just hanging out here at the North Pole, we are always ready to bring out the pot and start the party. All the family will gather together every weekend for the festive get-together. You too can follow their lead... and here is what you will need:

Utensils:

Outdoor Cooker setup w/minimum 5 gallon to 8 gallon pot
Drop-in basket (Chinese strainer will work, but make sure it has a long handle)
Plenty of newspaper (for authentic serving and easier cleanup)
One large ice chest with lid works best, but any large container with a lid will do in a pinch

Ingredients (minimum-judge for your individual gathering, figure min. 3 LB. per person):

10 LB live crawfish or fresh shrimp (lobsters will do just fine as well)
3 LB small, thin skin potatoes
1 Doz. ears of corn (broken in half)
3 Large onions-skins removed and quartered
3 Cloves of garlic
1 LB St. Amand's Seafood Boil (you can use other, but it just won't be as good!)

Preparation:

Put 3 to 5 gallons of water in the stock pot, and start it boiling. The rule of thumb here is allow for the top 1/3 of the pot for expansion. You don't want it boiling over on you when you put everything in it. Once the water comes to a boil, add everything BUT the crawfish (or shrimp,or lobsters) and allow the water to come back up to a boil.

Once the water has comeback to a boil, add the crawfish (or other seafood, you can also mix doing two or three different seafood at once) and allow the crawfish to cook until they are a bright red. This will take approximately 7 to 10 minutes.

When the seafood is cooked, lift the basket and empty it into the ice cooler. Sprinkle the cooked food, with a good coating of St. Amand's Seafood Boil and mix well. Closing the lid and giving it a real good shaking works, or using a large spoon or ladle will do as well. Once it has been well mixed, pour more of St. Amand's Seafood Boil over it (to taste) and close the lid.

Let the crawfish, corn, and potatoes sit in the closed cooler for 15 to 20 minutes to steam and soak in the flavor. This will also give it a chance to cool slightly.

Spread out a heavy layering of the newspaper on the table, or where ever you are serving up the crawfish, and dump them out on the paper. DIG IN AND ENJOY! Also great served with your favorite garlic bread!