Like all parents, Dan Sciscente finds cooking for his entire family a bit of a challenge. The best remedy for this, he says, is mixing things up a bit and combining everyone’s favorite styles together to make dinner fun and delicious. Here, Dan Sciscente gives us his favorite ideas for finding which cuisines work best together.

Aicube: Thank you for stopping in with us today. We appreciate it.

Dan Sciscente: I’m happy to be here.

Aicube: So, you’re a father; how do you get your entire family to eat the same thing? Most parents find that the most frustrating part of cooking meals.

Dan Sciscente: It used to be a chore. It still can be, but one thing we do now is let the kids pick one night each to choose the style of food they want. The next night, they have to respect what the other wants.

Aicube: That’s clever.

Dan Sciscente: The best thing I have found is experimenting with different cuisine types and mixing them. Technically, this is called fusion cooking.

Aicube: Which culinary traditions can be fused? That sounds very challenging.

Dan Sciscente: It can be, but the key is to research each cuisine type before combining them. One thing I have found universally interchangeable is grains, like pasta. So, Italian fusion is one of the easiest.

Aicube: Can you offer any suggestions on a stress-free, kid pleasing recipe?

Dan Sciscente: A basic Italian/Mexican lasagna is lasagna noodles, spicy ground beef or shredded chicken, taco sauce and seasonings, and queso cheese. Add some chopped peppers and onions and top with globs of sour cream when it’s plated. For a fun twist, serve it over tortilla chips and made sure there is lots of cheese melting throughout.

Aicube: Sounds yummy.

Dan Sciscente: Asian fusion is popular at my house, too.

Aicube: What would you mix with Asian food?

Dan Sciscente: There are a number of ethnic foods that work well with the spicy sweetness of Chinese, Japanese, and Vietnamese.

Aicube: What about Mexican; it pairs well with Italian, what about Asian?

Dan Sciscente: The possibilities here are endless. Both cultures use a lot of vegetables and meats and each relies on strong flavors. Probably the best family food I’d consider Asian/Mexican fusion is Chicken Teriyaki Quesadillas. The intense teriyaki is calmed down by the cheese and wrapped in a toasty flour tortilla. They are great for a quick dinner and also work well for entertaining.

Aicube: If our readers aren’t hungry by now, they may never be. Thank you again for your time. You’ve given us some food for thought, please excuse the pun.

Dan Sciscente: Thank you again, I hope to talk to you in the future.

Dan Sciscente is a software developer, an entrepreneur, and the founder of both Communi-T and e-Nov Inc. He enjoys cooking with his wife and children, sailing, and playing music in his spare time.