a lowcountry boil.

easily one of my family's best traditions is the lowcountry boil we have for big gatherings. i can't tell you the exact recipe (dad's secret), but i can tell you this: shrimp, sweet corn, potatoes, and sausage simmer for hours in a big pot of spices, then everyone fends for themselves. 

sometimes (like new year's) we cover tables in newspaper and pour the pot out; other times (like now) we get fancy and serve it in a dish. but no matter, lowcountry boils are so simple, so delicious, so fitting for the happy kind of chaos that our family get-togethers always bring.