big love for mini mushroom and smoked gouda quiche

a million years ago, on a whim of holiday-themed inspiration, i bought frozen tart shells.  i had visions of mini pumpkin pies with little dabs of whipped cream... ya, never happened.  they've been taking up room in my freezer ever since.  finally they found a new purpose - the crust for mini quiches, my new favourite thing!  i love quiche!  and what's not to love about quiche in freezable snack sized portions?!  fantastic!

i went a little crazy and made three kinds (apparently i was going to make a LOT of pumpkin tarts) - mediterranean; turkey sausage, mushroom, and swiss (which i found somewhere online and promptly forgot...); and mushroom and gouda (i also bought too many mushrooms).  the last ones are by far my favourite.  they were a last minute make-it-up-as-you-go recipe because i was trying to use up the tart shells, mushrooms, eggs, and the leftover smoked gouda i'd bought for mac and cheese... so the proportions might not be bang on, but seriously - give these a try.  YUM!

Mushroom and Smoked Gouda Mini-Quiche
prep time: 20mins  cook time: 35mins

1 1/2 - 2 cups chopped mushrooms (i used a blend of white and cremini i think)
2 green onions, sliced
1 cup shredded smoked gouda
5 eggs
1/2 cup of milk
some freshly ground pepper
frozen tart shells, or homemade pastry, if you're all talented like that

saute the mushrooms in a little bit of olive oil until just cooked.  drain and set aside to cool.

meanwhile, beat the eggs with the milk and pepper in a bowl.

add the green onions, cheese and mushrooms and mix well.  pour into tart shells on a baking sheet and bake at 325 for about 35 minutes or until puffed up and the edges of the shells have just started to brown.

poor husband doesn't do eggs very well, so i will have to make my way through these on my own (sigh!).  i'm looking forward to lots of easy breakfasts and lunches after the baby comes.  :)

enjoy!