When I think of a festive family gathering, I always think of food.  Here is a table of my kinfolk celebrating family with food.

CRAWFISH BREAD

3 (11 oz.) rolls refrigerated French bread dough, 1 stick salted butter, 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil, 1 (10.5 oz.) can cream of shrimp soup, 1 cup clam juice, 1 (8 oz.) package cream cheese, softened, 4 cups frozen crawfish tails, 1 teaspoon crawfish boil, liquid, Cajun seasoning salt to taste, 2 bay leaves, 1/4 cup red bell pepper, diced, 1/4 cup green bell pepper, diced, 1/2 cup celery, diced, 5 garlic cloves, minced, 1 cup green onions, diced, 1/2 cup white onions, diced, 1/4 cup flat leaf parsley, chopped, 1/4 teaspoon fresh basil, chopped, 1/8 teaspoon ground thyme, 1/2 cup fresh ripe tomatoes, chopped, 1/2 cup frozen spinach, thawed squeeze out liquid, 1 cup Monterey jack cheese, 1 cup Parmesan cheese, grated, 1/4 cup Pinot Grigio wine, 2 tablespoons Creole mustard

Get out a saucepan, add 6 cups of water add the crawfish boil add the crawfish, bring to a boil, remove from the heat allow to cool down for at least 5-10 minutes, add 1/4 cup of ice.   Get out a large cast iron skillet, add the butter and olive oil. When the butter melted adjust the flame to medium heat, add the onions, bell pepper, celery, green onions, parsley, and basil saute for about 5 minutes or until the onions are translucent.  Add the crawfish, soup, clam juice, wine, and cream cheese.  Stir until the cream cheese melts.  Add the seasoning salt, bay leaves, garlic, and thyme.  Continue to stir until your sauce starts to thicken.  Add the tomatoes and spinach.  Remove from heat set aside for at least 30 minutes to allow all the flavors to marry.

Get out 3 cookie sheets, lightly spread butter on the sheets.  Roll out the French dough on the cookie sheets.  Sprinkle 1/3 rd of the Monterey jack cheese on each sheet.  Spoon the crawfish mixture down the center of the dough,  Add the remaining jack cheese and half the Parmesan cheese.  Roll up the dough and fold over the end to keep everything inside.  Sprinkle the remaining Parmesan cheese on top.  Cut 5-6 slits on the top of the dough, put the sheets in a 350-degree oven.  Bake for approximately 20 minutes or until the bread is golden brown.  Remove from the oven allow the bread to sit for about 3 minutes, slice and serve.

Serve with a simple tossed green salad and a tall cold hurricane.