For my husband's birthday, he decided that he wanted a bog party. We did not, as my lucky duck sister had the chance to do, go to Ireland and jump into a peat bog (although, really, I find this an odd activity), but instead had what might otherwise be called a crab (or shrimp or clam or…) boil. I have heard of such things, but never yet done them. Andrew had been telling me about how awesome it was, his mom had been telling me that we ought to do one to celebrate our wedding… I'd been hearing a lot about this magical "bog", but not tasting!
The recipe comes from some relatives in their family, and they called it "Buford's Bog". No idea who Buford is. Someone who likes food, I guess. Below is how my mother-in-law has it written down.
[Buford's] Bog
~20 qts (5 gallons) water (and a pot big enough to hold it)
3 lemons
1/2 lb salt
1 oz. black pepper
1 oz. cayenne pepper
2 oz. tabasco
2-3 bags Zataran's Crab Boil
6oz. Old Bay Seasoning
1/2 lb shrimp per person
1/2 lb small red potatoes per person
1/6 lb onion per person
1/2 lb Polish sausage per person
1 ear of corn per person
1/2 lb crab per person
The italicized ingredients are a per person ESTIMATE. If it looks like way too much food, it may well be. Know your budget. Know the people you are cooking for. Also know that leftovers make an excellent breakfast that is more beloved in my husband's family than the bog itself.
Begin by bringing all the water to a boil. Use a propane-fired turkey fryer. (This is an OUTDOOR meal.) While someone is manning the propane burner, half the lemons, half or quarter the potatoes, and chop the onions int rough wedges. Break the corn cobs in half, and cut the sausage into large hunks.
Add the lemons, salt, both kinds of pepper, tabasco, crab boil (
keep the bags intact; I didn't know you were supposed to), and Old Bay to the boiling water. If you have a colander-type insert for your giant vessel (no idea where they get these, but they have it!) put that in afterward. Add the potatoes and onions and cook for 20 minutes. Then add the sausage and corn, and cook another five minutes. Add the crab, and give the whole pot another five minutes. Finally, add the shrimp, and cook a few minutes more (until the shrimp is cooked-- it'll be pink and curled).
This is where your colander insert becomes invaluable. If you've got one, just lift it out (use caution, it's hot and dripping hot liquids!), and carefully dump it into a large (very large in our family) serving bowl. It helps to have the bowl right next to the pot. If you haven't got the insert, you'll have to be a little more creative. And quick. I would use the largest slotted utensil I could find. I might even try scooping either with or into a regular colander, since that might be faster. Probably make it a multi-person job.
Grab your nutcrackers/shellfish-splitters, forks, tons of napkins, and plates. Use tongs to help yourself to a little bit of everything.
This can be done in batches, if it won't all fit at once (ours certainly wouldn't). Do a little bit of everything in each batch, so it all works together, and so hungry folks can eat everything while waiting for the next installment. We also spiced in batches. The second batch, then is spicier.
Feel free to swap out ingredients as you are able or interested. Be careful, though, if using unfamiliar ingredients. My husband's aunt was very excited to try some "Slap Yo' Mamma" crab boil seasoning she'd bought at a gift, bait, and tractor supply store down in Louisiana. We thought we'd use just a quarter of the bag, and one less Zataran's, and maybe that would even out. Nope. Lesson learned: the good people of Louisiana don't tone down their spices for tourists.
We had a couple family members with shellfish allergies. Fortunately not so bad that they couldn't be around us, but we had to accommodate. We separately cooked some potato, sausage, and corn for them. Since they're kids, we didn't want it to be spicy for them anyway, so they we weren't stuck trying to figure out how to flavor it. But probably add some Old Bay and pepper (both kinds) for flavor if so desired.
Finally, a tip for purchasing: split the costs. Put someone in charge of crab, someone in charge of shrimp and sausage, someone in charge of spices, someone else could get produce… However it makes sense to divvy it up so no one person is stuck with a triple-digit bill.
I was really thrilled. This definitely lived up to expectations. It was fun to make, fun to eat, and just made the whole party fun and casual and relaxed. There's plenty of time to talk and hang out while it's cooking, or while you're cracking open crab or peeling apart your shrimp. Everyone's digging into seafood and veggies with their hands, so it's hard to not feel at ease (possible downside: it is also harder to photograph everything). It's amazingly flavorful, very filling, and the crab makes it fabulously indulgent. I really find myself at a loss for words, it is that good. Make it. You won't be sorry.
4 slices of baguette-- slice on an angle for more surface area
Combine everything from the eggs to the thyme on a plate, and stir to combine. Set the bread slices in the plate and allow to soak up the mixture for about a minute. Flip the bread and allow it to soak up the remaining mixture; you may want/need to move the bread around to mop up the mixture. 
My husband passed on this; as I started typing it up, he got disappointed. Which, in my opinion, he should well be. It was delicious. Salty and flavorful, it was a nice alternative to either a sweet breakfast or eggs. I paired it with a little bit of savory blueberry sauce I had leftover from some lamb, which served as a lovely alternative to syrup to really complete the savory breakfast. 
