Crawfish Cook Off!

Ken's boiled bugs ... seasoned perfectly!

After literally drowning in our sorrows last week, the rain finally stopped and we had our first day of sun in over a week.  This was just in time for the annual Crawfish Cook-Off that Ken's been participating in for the past couple of years.  The weather was gorgeous with blue skies, lots of sunshine, temps in the low 80's and low humidity.  Mix that with friends, family, beer and crawfish ... just what Ken and I needed to forget about our troubles for the day.  The event is held at a friend's house, and they know how to throw a party!

Ken's been boiling crawfish a long time, and he's often complemented on his boils.  In fact, Ken took 1st prize last year!  The year before that (Ken's first year) he joined at the last minute and was late with his boil.  Late meant disqualified from the judging but a lot of folks told him that he should have won.  So, last year Ken was prepared and took the trophy ... even though the day before was our daughter's wedding and he was exhausted.  We figured Ken wouldn't be allowed to win two years in a row, but we really didn't care anyway.  The event is a lot of fun, and Ken just boils the way he always does.  

  Although Ken's got his recipe down, boiling a bunch of crawfish requires help ... mainly muscle.  So, Ken invited our friend Dennis to join in the competition this year.  The cook-off started around 9:00 am, with a Bloody Mary bar to kick things off.  There were about eight teams competing, each with their own tent and boiling area.   Ken named his team the "D" team after being "disqualified" the first year, even though everyone "devoured" his crawfish, and he "dominated" the boil.  That first white tent in the pic below is Ken's area (our daughter in the lime green shirt and Dennis' wife on the left).  Oh, and that's Ken looking at ya!

Pouring the pot ... that's where the muscle comes in!  BTW, I wanted to smack that cigarette outta Ken's mouth ... he hadn't smoked in a while.  He was back to being a "quitter" the next day.

Each team had their own canoe, and Ken's was number "6" ...

There was a great band playing while everyone tasted the team's bugs.

Me and my "Crawfish King"!

Our friend Connie, me, our daughter - Erica, and Dennis' wife - Evie ... 

The guys ... Dennis, Ken and Connie's husband Joe.  Our son-in-law was home sick ... poor guy!  We refer to Joe as "Burt Reynolds" and found out that we're not the only ones.

While we were just having fun, we wondered if Ken would have to turn over the trophy.  I'm not kidding when I tell ya that four different guys came to Ken and said his crawfish were definitely the best.  If that didn't count for something, then maybe the fact that Ken's canoe was out of crawfish way before the other canoes .. hmmm.  Anyway, we really didn't count on being allowed to win twice, especially since it's not a secret of whose team has what number canoe.  We "won" by being there!  Note the last plaque from 2014 ... The "D" Team.

While we ate and drank, the kids played in the dunking booth and pool.

I have to take this opportunity and mention that Ken and our friend Joe (Burt Reynolds) built this beautiful covered patio and outdoor kitchen ... isn't it gorgeous?!

Yep, that's us under the patio ... we got around!

Ken also built the gazebo and was the contractor for the outdoor fireplace and patio.  The home, pool, outdoor areas and grounds are so pretty!  There are lots of places to "escape" ...

I'm born and raised in the New Orleans area, but I'd never seen "Crawfish Boil" soap before.  It included pumice (to remove the grit) and peppermint (to leave your hands smelling good). This stuff was great!

As we figured, Ken had to turn over the 1st place trophy to the "A" team, but Ken took second place!  Here's a picture of Ken and Dennis with the 2nd place medal and the "D" team t-shirt that our daughter made.  In the rush that morning, the team shirts were left behind and thus made it late and never worn ... yet.  Remember the story of the "D" team?  The front had a crawfish on the pocket and said "D" team.  Erica did a great job.  (She can make you a custom shirt too)!

I can't believe I never got a photo of the hosts!  With all of the people and mingling, I just didn't get a chance.  Anyway, Chris and Tina are so gracious to open up their home and throw this great event every year.  Thanks Tina and Chris!

We "boiled" our worries away for the day ... do we really have to go back to reality?!

Hasta luego ... until then.  Mid-Life Cruising!

*We received so many kind words of encouragement on our Facebook page after our last post.  Thanks so much ... we really appreciate it!