Hello! Sorry for missing a post yesterday; we had something going around that got the best of us. We're feeling almost 100% now, and back to our normal routine. Today's Tuesday, which means it's a What's for Dinner day...which means we're doing breakfast. Specifically, quiche.

Make ahead mini quiche for breakfast (or a party!)

If dinner is the most challenging meal of the day, breakfast is a close second. I can, and do, just throw a box of cereal on the table and let us all fight to the death for it, but it does have some drawbacks: It's not that great for you, here in NYC it is absurdedly expensive (like $6-7 a box for the standard stuff); and it's hard to eat in the stroller/on the way to school. That last one is key. I need breakfasts we can eat while on the go. For us that means walking through the city; for others it means in the car or on the train, and for almost all of us, it means a one-handed exercise in not ruining your outfit.

So quiche. I love quiche, and I think it's got a reputation for being tougher to make than it is. Essentially, you just bake eggs, milk or cream, cheese and some meat or veggies and then eat it. Once you have a formula you like, you can make whatever variation your heart desires. Quiche is also the perfect place to use up leftovers and small amounts of things - mixing the ends of a bunch of cheeses works fine, as does throwing in sauteed veggies from last night's dinner - so it's pretty budget friendly.

These quiche are all crustless, because that's easier. But you can of course add crust, using pre-made or homemade pie dough, by just lining your muffin tins. Alternatively, you can line the bottoms with diced or torn bread, or add a tablespoon or two of flour to your egg mixture (the custard) to stiffen things up. I find it's not very necessary, especially if you start with the cheese when layering your ingredients; the cheese itself forms a nice cup for everything else. But by all means, experiment away!

Make Ahead Mini Quiche

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups milk or half & half
Enough eggs to equal one cup (usually 4 or 5)
1 - 1/1/2 cups filling
1 cup shredded cheese
(optional) 1-2 tablespoons flour, to help give the quiches shape
salt and pepper to taste (a few shakes/grinds each)

Directions

1. Preheat your oven to 375 degrees F.

2. Choose your baking dish and be sure to grease it thoroughly, however you prefer to grease things. Mini muffin tins, brownie trays, baking trays and large baking dishes (like a 9 x 9 in pan) all work well. Regular-sized muffin tins are just the right size to be annoying to remove the quiche and clean up, so I recommend only using them if you've got a silicone one, or to be extra diligent greasing, and possibly flouring as well.

3. In a large measuring cup, measure 1 1/2 cups milk or half & half. You can use any fat content milk that you like - yep, skim works - or mix milk and half & half, to your desired creaminess. Just be sure your final amount is 1 1/2 cups.

4. To your measuring cup, add 1 cup of eggs, usually 4 or 5, and beat well. Be sure to fully incorporate the yolks.

5. Sprinkle your cheese evenly across the bottom of your greased baking dish. In a muffin or brownie tin, this might equal out to 1 1/2 tablespoons of cheese per cup. Spread your filling evenly over your cheese (again, in individually-portioned pans, a tablespoon tends to be a good measure), and finally, pour the egg mixture on top. In a muffin tin, you can fill it pretty much all the way up. Though the eggs will puff up like a souffle in the oven, they'll fall back quickly into their original size when you pull them out.

5. Depending on the dish you use, your quiche will take a different length of time to cook. Mini muffin and brownie tins should be done in 17-20 minutes; regular muffin tins about 25 and a shallowly-filled baking dish 20-25 (my 9 x 9 in baking dish took about 21 minutes; it was pretty shallowly filled). No matter your pan, at about 17 minutes, check for doneness by inserting a toothpick into the middle of a center quiche. If it comes out clean, you should be good to go. Remove quiche from oven and let cool in baking dish for a few minutes; then transfer to a baking rack to cool completely (or eat it).

6. To freeze, choose a freezer-safe storage dish and line with wax paper. Lay a sheet of wax paper between each layer of quiche.

7. To reheat, heat quiche in a 400 degree oven for 4-5 minutes. Easy and fast.

Some variations for the filling:

French: Spinach, caramelized onion & gruyere (with a pinch of nutmeg). In a large saute pan, over low heat, heat half a tablespoon of oil or butter. Add one small onion, sliced, and season with salt and pepper. Cook over low heat until beginning to brown and caramelize, about 25 minutes. Add a few handfuls fresh spinach or about 5 ounces frozen spinach (half a box) and cook until spinach is thawed/wilted. To your egg mixture, add 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg. Use as quiche filling as directed above.

Southwestern: Grilled or sauteed corn, diced bell peppers and onions with pepper jack. If sauteeing, heat 1/2 tablespoon oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Add half a cup each peppers and onions. Season with salt, pepper, and a pinch of a adobo seasoning. When the onions have softened and turned translucent, about 5 minutes, add 1/2 cup corn kernels, fresh or frozen, and cook for 3 more minutes or, if frozen, until thawed. Use as quiche filling as directed above.

Midwestern: Finely chopped broccoli and cheddar. Season a cup of finely chopped steamed or thawed broccoli florets with salt and pepper. Use as quiche filling as directed above.

Of course, these aren't just great for a make ahead breakfast; they're also perfect for party finger foods. I made a ton in advance of Lou's birthday last year, and they were easy to heat up and easy to eat. All good stuff. Look for more mobile breakfasts in the coming weeks. As usual, thanks for reading.