Delicious Reading: Creme de la Crumb and a Controlled Substance Salad

I love getting together with friends for dinner and it doesn’t happen often enough. Recently, we, and another couple, were invited for a get-together at the home of fellow Missourian columnist, Tyler Tankersley and his wife, Jess. In anticipation of the event where there would be a combined total of seven children and six adults, I decided to bring a side dish that would be more grown-up. I remembered one of the friends had really liked a lemon poppy seed salad I had made once before and wanted to recreate that, but add pasta and feta cheese to make it a little different. The only problem was that I had made the dressing with a mix from the direct sales company, Homemade Gourmet. I thought that company was defunct, but a little internet research just revealed it is alive again as an online store. Still, I wouldn’t be able to get dressing mix from them in time and, of course, now I had my heart set on this light, summertime flavor. So, I turned to Pinterest for a creamy lemon poppy seed dressing recipe and discovered lecremedelacrumb.com.

The recipe blog was created by self-taught cook, Tiffany, in 2013 as a way to catalog her kitchen endeavors. She loves to provide taste-tested recipes that are quick, easy and delicious. She shares hand-me-down recipes or twists on cookbook classics, as well as her own creations. With Tiffany’s recipe in hand, I headed to Schnucks for the few ingredients I needed. I was cruising along with my cart when I reached a screeching halt in the baking aisle. As I looked for poppy seeds in the spices section, I found an empty space on the shelf where the UPC code for poppy seeds was and a little piece of paper that said “Poppy seeds are now kept behind the customer service desk.” I finished up my shopping and asked about this when I was checking out. The cashier got on the phone and someone from customer service delivered my bottle of poppy seeds. I knew you could test positive for opiates after eating poppy seeds in muffins or bagels, but I hadn’t realized they were being treated like a controlled substance now. Since they didn’t ask for my ID, I don’t think they really are — it would take a lot of poppy seeds, produced within the opium poppy, to produce an opioid-like effect — so they are probably trying to reduce theft. Nevertheless, I assured the cashier I wasn’t going to embark on a life of crime. But, this dish became known as “‘Breaking Bad’ Salad.” I hope you enjoy it with friends who like to live dangerously.

Creamy Lemon Poppyseed Dressing

Recipe from “Creme de la Crumb.”

• 2 tablespoons honey
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1/2 cup plain greek yogurt
• 1/4 cup mayo (I used reduced fat)
• 1 1/2 tablespoons poppyseeds
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon milk (I used skim)

Whisk all ingredients together. Chill at least 1 hour for serving for best results.

I doubled the recipe for the dressing and tossed it with:

• 10 ounces baby spinach
• 5 ounces reduced sugar craisins
• 6 ounces crumbled feta cheese
• 8 ounces cashew pieces
• 16 ounces cooked and cooled bow tie pasta