Lucinda Scala Quinn knows how to feed men. Growing up with four hungry brothers and raising three always-starving sons has taught her the art of knowing how - and how fast - to cook for men and boys. Now, the Martha Stewart food guru and co-host of PBS' "Everyday Food" shares her strategies in a cookbook, "Mad Hungry: Feeding Men and Boys."

It reads both like a cookbook for the modern mom and an ode to family togetherness. In it, she pleads her case for family dinners and shows how her own family has benefitted not only from sitting down to eat a meal together but from cooking together, too.

Why did you decide to write this cookbook?

"I looked back, and 22 years ago I made the commitment to feed my family the way I had been fed by my mom and noticed there were tremendous rewards that had come from it. All of a sudden I woke up one day and realized the accumulation of all these years resulted in so many riches, so I decided to put it down on paper. So many people ask me all the time, how do you do it. But when it's 6 a.m. and the dog is barking and the boys are starving and my shirt is wrinkled, I'm no different than anyone else. I simply made a commitment to feeding my family this way.

How do men eat differently from women?

I think there are ways we're culturally different and many ways we are the same. Once you have more than one hungry male, you have an urgent situation. Through that immediacy, I got my food act going. Guys like big, lusty foods. Oh, and one tip: Never be caught without bacon. If you have collard greens, and bacon's in there, they are eating it. You can make carbonara. You can make a meal with bacon.

How did you get started cooking?

I had grown up in a big Italian family where everyone cooked and ate. When I was 15 years old I moved from the Midwest to the East. I was a miserable young lady, but a counselor at school told me I could get involved in a work-study program at a great cafe. I instantly loved it. I loved being around it; I loved cooking; I kept cooking.

Tell me about how you've fostered your sons' love of cooking.

They are 15, 18 and 22 now, and they all want the good stuff. They love the meal; they love the prep. I think when you are making this be a pleasurable experience, it just comes out of that. My son in college just couldn't wait to cook on his own. My middle son is a professional at a high-end restaurant. And cooking together is good for other things. It's not like they are just going to come up to you and spill about their girlfriends. But when you are cooking together or talking about food, you can talk about things. It leads you to where you want to be. Trust me.

One of the things you say in the cookbook is "don't hide the vegetables." Why is that?

I say vegetable eaters aren't born, they are made. When I went back to work full time when my youngest was 7, my husband picked up the food slack. But the kids stopped eating vegetables. I told him he had to learn two or three techniques to let the vegetables shine. Don't hide the vegetables. I read one cookbook that said to put spinach in brownies, but if you do that, the kids miss out on the deliciousness of spinach, and they'll never look at a brownie the same again.

Your cookbook has fairly simple recipes with "real" ingredients. Was that intentional?

In today's world, we're inundated with complicated recipes and foodiness. It makes people intimidated. I like to strip it down to its basics with tips that make it much more doable… you should decide it's important to you to feed your family this way. I just felt like you take that need and turn it into pleasure. It's not just physical nourishment, it's emotional and spiritual.

What's your husband's favorite recipe in the book?

It would have to be chicken wings. He has a lot of influence in this book.

Do you prefer to cook for your family or for others?

My absolute favorite thing to do is cook for my family. It's my happiest time.

Crunchy Sesame Chicken Wings

Yield: 18 to 20 wings

18 to 20 chicken wings

3 large eggs, beaten

2 teaspoons vegetable oil

1/2 cup sesame seeds

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons coarse salt

1/4 teaspoon ground red (cayenne) pepper

1/2 cup fresh bread crumbs

2 to 3 cloves garlic, minced

Hot sauce, for serving

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Place chicken wings in a large bowl. Add eggs and toss to coat. Coat a large, rimmed baking sheet with oil.

2. In a small bowl, combine sesame seeds, flour, salt, cayenne, bread crumbs and garlic. Dip each wing into the sesame mixture to fully coat. Place coated wings side by side on the baking sheet.

3. Bake for 30 minutes, then increase the temperature to 400 degrees. Cook until wings are golden brown and sizzling, 20 to 30 more minutes. Immediately remove the wings from the baking sheet. Serve with hot sauce.

Spaghetti Carbonara

Start to finish: 20 minutes

Servings: 4 to 6

1 pound spaghetti

1/2 pound bacon, sliced crosswise into 1/2-inch pieces

3 large eggs

1 cup grated Parmesan cheese, plus extra for serving (optional)

Ground black pepper, to taste

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook the spaghetti according to package directions.

Meanwhile, in a large skillet over medium-low, cook the bacon until just crispy, 8 to 10 minutes. Skim off some of the fat.

Drain the pasta, add to the bacon in the pan, and toss to combine.

In a small bowl, whisk together the eggs, cheese and pepper in a small bowl. Pour into the pasta, and combine thoroughly. Serve immediately with extra grated cheese, if desired.

Banana Cream Pie

Yield: 8 servings

3/4 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon granulated sugar

1/2 teaspoon coarse salt

2 cups milk

4 large egg yolks

2 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into small pieces

1 teaspoon vanilla

2 ripe bananas

Purchased or homemade pie crust, baked and cooled

2 cups heavy cream

1. Whisk together flour, 1/2 cup sugar and salt in a medium saucepan. Place over low heat. Slowly whisk milk into flour mixture. Whisk in the egg yolks. Cook, stirring constantly, incorporating the thickening mixture as it forms on the bottom and sides of the pan. Cook until the mixture is uniformly thickened and coats the back of a wooden spoon. Remove from heat; stir in butter and vanilla. Cool slightly.

2. Slice bananas into the pie crust. Pour the pudding over the bananas, smooth the top and chill.

3. Whip the cream with the remaining 1 tablespoon sugar until stiff peaks form. Spread over the pie. Chill until cold, then slice and slice.

Per serving: 510 calories; 35g fat (62 percent calories from fat); 19g saturated fat; 201mg cholesterol; 7g protein; 42g carbohydrate; 21g sugar; 1g fiber; 270mg sodium; 126mg calcium; 280mg potassium.

(Recipes from Lucinda Scala Quinn's "Mad Hungry: Feeding Men and Boys," Artisan, 2009)