Spiced Yogurt Muffins, Hangover Helper

"Hello, CrabbyCook Hangover Hotline. Can I help you?"

"What's that?"

"Ahhh, no sir, I'm sure that's a bad idea."

"Well, I really can't say why your wife would suggest this as a hangover cure. Maybe it has something to do with the night before."

"No sir, I'm positive. Drinking all the dregs from the dirty glasses and rolling naked on the glass table you broke last night will not cure your hangover."

"Yes, yes, some aspirin and a long nap will probably do the trick. Glad we could be of help."

Sheesh, why do all the wackos call on my shift? I have to admit I'm not a big fan of New Year's Eve parties. People seem to think it's the one night they have a free pass off the deep end. Instead of eating too much they decide it's okay to drink too much.

I don't have a hangover cure or even a really good hangover preventative, besides not drinking at all. The best suggestion I can give you is to take a couple of aspirin before bed, if you've got the stomach for it, eat a couple of bananas and down it all with a very large glass of tepid water. I have no idea if this actually works, but chemistry says it should help.

Another idea I have for you is to have something ready to eat the next morning. A little something that will go down easily with strong coffee and noisy sunshine. Noisy sunshine? I've always found the sun to be particularly loud when it's acting like God's flashlight, illuminating the inside of an alcohol riven head. But I digress.

Today's recipe is for Spiced Yogurt Muffins. SSSal loves baking at this time of year and we always have some sort of muffin or breakfast cake sitting around. With a little luck the yogurt and spices will help you get through New Year's Day. So, perk a pot of coffee, turn on the Tournament of Roses Parade and just before you fall back asleep enjoy...


Spiced Yogurt Muffins
from Food & Wine magazine, November 2008

2 cups all purpose flour
1 cup light brown sugar
1 TBSP baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon grated nutmeg (or ground if you don't have fresh)
2 large eggs, at room temperature
1 1/4 cups plain low-fat yogurt (use the high protein Greek style)

4 TBSP unsalted butter, melted
1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1 TBSP granulated sugar
1/4 teaspoon grated nutmeg (or ground if you don't have fresh)

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees.

Line approximately 18 muffin cups with paper or foil liners.

In a large bowl, sift together the flour, brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, allspice, cloves and 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg.

In a medium bowl, whisk the eggs, yogurt, butter, applesauce and vanilla. Fold the wet mixture into the dry ingredients until well blended.

Spoon the batter into the prepared muffin cups. (try using an ice cream scooper) Mix together the sugar and 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg and sprinkle over the muffins. Bake for 18 minutes, until the muffins are springy; let cool in the pans for 5 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool. Serve warm or at room temperature.


There you go crablings. Obviously, you'll be in better shape to make this recipe if you're not fighting a major headache, so prepare it New Year's Eve day and have them waiting for the next morning.

Happy New Year!! Have a good time! Remember, don't drink and drive!!! I want you back next year so I can keep reminding you that, you can do it, you can cook.