The Easiest Way to Host a Casual Dinner

Ever been to a shrimp boil? Crawfish boil? Any kind of boil, really? If you plan to host a dinner party and you aren't caught up in silverware placement and proper napkin folding, a shrimp boil is the best way to go. A shrimp boil allows for easy cooking that won't take you away from your guests for long and (here's the best part) cleanup could not be simpler.

For a proper shrimp or crawfish boil, you'll need:

• Enough butcher paper to cover your entire table(s)
• Plenty of shrimp or crawfish
• Any type of potatoes, cut into eighths if large
• Andouille or kielbasa sausage, or substitute your favorite flavorful sausage here
• Corn on the cob, cut into halves
• Shrimp boil seasoning (it already comes in oil form to drip into the water)
• Lemons
• Large pot for boiling
• a steamer basket is helpful to pull all the food out of the pot, but not necessary
• Lots of moist towelettes!

Basically, you want all pieces to be a size you can easily handle with your bare hands. Yep, bare hands. No utensils here. The wonderful thing about a shrimp boil is that you lay out enough butcher paper to cover your table and just dump all the food directly on it after cooking! Everyone sits around, squeezes whatever condiments they like directly onto the butcher paper, tosses their shells and trash onto the table, and eats with their hands. Such a casual form of eating eliminates all pretenses. Guests feel free to relax, laugh, be loud and enjoy themselves. One of the most successful dinner parties I've ever thrown was a shrimp boil with about a dozen friends. Best part: when all is done, just wrap up all the butcher paper with the trash inside and toss! No more cleanup!

Drop everything into your seasoned pot according to cooking time. Generally, I add everything except the shrimp/crawfish to the post and let is cook together and soak up as much flavor from the seasonings as possible. When the potatoes are cooked through after about 20 minutes, add your shrimp/crawfish and cook another 5-10 minutes for shrimp or 10-15 for crawfish. Squeeze lemon over the top or add to the boil itself.

It's also easy to make a shrimp boil for just two people. So, I've made this for weeknight dinners at home, as well. Honestly, who doesn't have fun playing with their food? Food tends to taste better when eaten with your hands, anyway.