[/caption] It doesn't take much to make me smile. A nap, a glass of wine or some extra stinky cheese can often be enough. But on a day where I thought I might lose my mind, just as the screams from my kids were piercing my ears, a smooth male voice came to me from my mudroom. There he was, the velvety voiced Costas Halavrezos, standing in my entry way while being harassed by child #1. As I ran to shield him from her begging, he handed over a small container of what I can now only describe as bliss. It was a jar of the Ethopian Berbere spice from the Montreal based company Épices De Cru.

Since retiring from CBC Radio a few months ago, Costas has decided to pair up with acquaintances from Montreal and become the Épices De Cru man on the East coast. After recently mentioning this spice mix to me, and as he lives in my 'hood, he was kind enough to help out this damsel in distress on drop some off.

I had no intention of letting the day finish without giving this extra special spice mix a test drive. After some quick decision making, I decided to marinate some Pacific white shrimp in the spice mix before sauteing them in a hot pan. I used the same pan to fry some cauliflower with cumin seeds, fresh tomatoes and cilantro. I placed the cauliflower along with the shrimp on top of a quick couscous of raisins and orange. (Keep in mind, I only have 20 minutes to make dinner each night while Doug reads to bebe #1!).

After reading Green Eggs & Ham the our lil' Queen, Doug floated down the stairs to find the the heady aromas of the Berbere spice emanating from the kitchen. Our dinner was ready! You have to believe me when I tell you how happy I was to sit down with a large glass of Nova Scotia L'Acadie Blanc and a plate of my quick Épices De Cru inspired concontion.

Thank you again Mr. Halavrezos for the spices and for saving this poor soul's life! If you aren't as lucky as me to have such a dapper man deliver spices to your door, you can find him at the Halifax Brewery Market on Saturdays or on Twitter @CWNH.