The Best Kind Of Party

 ... is the kind where you can count on your guests for lots of help.

I threw my semi-annual bachelor bash for the guys from Cursillo last night and we had a ball. Because they're all used to working in the kitchen on our retreat weekends and see that sort of thing as an act of love for one another, I was able to be much more ambitious with my menu. They fried the oysters, did the dishes, set the table and so forth while I made the shrimp, the gumbo, the rice and the jambalaya. It was heaven.

This time, all the dishes were successful. Usually, when I try to make so many things at once, at least one of them fails. I also chose to try out only one new recipe, a seafood jambalaya with oysters, crab and shrimp. And, of course, bacon. Duh. I had shotgunned this when wife kitteh and I were vacationing in Alabama and thought it my best jambalaya ever. This one was its equal.

At the end of the night, a bunch of the guys asked what they could do to help. The kitchen was a catastrophe with dirty pots and pans everywhere. Before wife kitteh got home, they had the place perfectly clean. While they washed and scrubbed, I sat and drank a beer with some of the others. Love all around.

Now that's a good party.

I had ordered a gallon of oysters from Billy's Seafood, not knowing if it was too much. When it first arrived, I was blown away at how many there were and figured I'd be throwing much of it in the trash. After last night, there's only a quart left and they should be good for another 3 days.