Between baseball and end-of-the-year school activities, May is the busiest month at my house. Mealtimes often aren’t shared, but taken in shifts. When May madness sets in, I often turn to this quick and tasty Ham and Cheese Quiche. My children love the simplicity of this combination, and I’m pleased to offer them something besides take-out and hot dogs at the ball field.

Quiche is the perfect entree during any busy season. It’s versatile in both preparation and ingredients. Bake your quiche early in the day and refrigerate it, then reheat individual portions in the microwave. Or, reheat the whole quiche in a low oven. Quiche also freezes beautifully, so often I’ll double the recipe and prepare two. One will serve as dinner or brunch, the other will go into the freezer for a back-up meal later.

Use your creativity and develop a version of your own. Substitute bacon and Swiss for the ham and cheddar for a traditional quiche Lorraine. Add sauteed chopped scallions or onions and green bell peppers to the filling. Other meats, such as browned sausage or ground beef also are good. Shrimp and crab meat are other options as well. I serve my Ham and Cheese Quiche with fruit kebabs and muffins, but a tossed salad and rolls also would be good.

• 1 9-inch deep dish frozen pie shell
• 4 ounces chopped ham
• 4 ounces shredded cheddar cheese
• 4 eggs
• 1 cup whipping cream, half and half or milk
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Sprinkle ham and cheese over the bottom of the prepared frozen pie crust. Beat together eggs, whipping cream, salt and pepper in a medium bowl and pour over other ingredients. Place on a baking sheet and bake for 40 to 50 minutes, until center is puffed. Allow to sit 5 minutes before cutting.

Makes 4 to 6 servings.