Dear old, long-lost friend, how did I forget you?

You came back to me the other day,  as I surveyed some particularly gorgeous fresh caught shrimp from North Caroline, and wondered what to do with them.

Through the grey mists of time emerged the very first recipe I ever wrote.

Back in the early 80's, sun-dried tomatoes were the big "new" thing, so, as I do to this day, I set about experimenting with them.  One day, as I opened the package, I spied a notice on the back which said that the California Sun-Dried Tomato growers were sponsoring a competition for the best original recipe making use of this new wonder-product.  Best of all, the winner was going to win what, to me in those days, was a huge sum! It seemed to me to be the obvious sure-fire way to keep my jalopy on the road, maybe even cover a couple of months rent, and find the fame and fortune as a cook that were surely coming my way.