cut up sausage a quarter inch thick, then cook sausage in butter and liquid smoke dried cut up onion and parsley. then wash and peel shrimp if not already done, then in in another skillet cook shrimp in butter and saute until shrimp is done, season if desired. then chop up crab meat, I used imitation but fresh or canned is also a choice, saute the crab meat. set aside, then cook rice I used brown rice but any rice is optional. In a large pot mix together shrimp, sausage and crab meat then pour in the gumbo mix let simmer on low heat stirring occasionally add about two tspoons of gumbo file. serve under a bed of rice.