Kids in the Kitchen: Quiche

There was an advertising campaign a few years ago that bragged, "Real Men Don't Eat Quiche!"

Sorry, the Cool Dads Crew strongly disagrees. Here in the Wisconsin test kitchen, we've been making quiche since our daughter Sawyer was a few years old. In fact, some might argue it was the first dish our Wisconsin Cool Dad, Kevin, perfected. Seriously... you've never seen a man more proud of a homemade quiche. And justifiably so!

Quiche was an easy meal to throw together, and it was a guaranteed way to get protein and vegetables into Sawyer's diet. Now that she's five, it's still an easy dinner that we have at least once a month; and it's something she loves to help her Daddy make. Quiche... it's not just for breakfast anymore. Although it is an easy breakfast idea. Did we mention it freezes and refrigerates incredibly well?


Cool Dads Quiche

1 standard size pie crust- we prefer the frozen kind
3 eggs
1/2 cup mozzarella cheese
1/2 cup milk
1 t mustard
1/2 t salt
3 shakes of Penzey's Sunny Paris Seasoning (a good quality seasoning mix like Mrs. Dash's will work as well)
Handful sliced mushrooms, chopped
Handful fresh spinach, chopped

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees. If using a frozen pie crust, let it thaw completely. Once thawed, sprinkle cheese onto the bottom of the pie crust.

In a bowl, combine the remainder of the ingredients.

Side Note: Here in the Wisconsin test kitchen, we're more than slightly obsessed with Penzey's Spices. Not only are they local to Wisconsin, but they're all kinds of delicious. We use the Sunny Paris Seasoning Sawyer is proudly showing off in just about everything from eggs to roast chicken to soups. Yup, it's that versatile. Sawyer even tells us it's an integral part to making scrambled eggs... they're just not the same without Sunny Paris.
Here's a link to their website if you're interested in finding out more:
http://www.penzeys.com/


Once the ingredients are combined, pour into the pie tin over the cheese.

Bake for 30 minutes. Use a toothpick to make sure the center is set. Let the quiche sit for 2-3 minutes before serving.

Notes from the Test Kitchen:

-Our quiche was vegetarian, but adding ham or bacon would make the quiche even more delicious.
-We always use mozzarella cheese because Sawyer has some strange aversion to cheddar; but Swiss, cheddar or even pepper jack would be tasty alternatives.
-We had just received two huge bags of fresh spinach from our CSA delivery this past week, hence the spinach and mushroom quiche; but red peppers, Kalamata olives, and even broccoli are all great additions to quiche.