When you’re thinking about keeping party expenses down, a little shopping research is a good way to start.

For your carbohydrate you can buy potatoes, rice, sandwich bread/wraps, pasta. Make a list and write down the different types you find at your local grocery store. In my area, for potatoes, I would find russets, Yukon golds, Reds. Under the rice, I can find arborio used to make risotto, jasmine, brown, white, wild. For sandwiches, in addition to common sliced ​​bread, there is French or Italian bread, mini baguettes, tortillas, tacos, etc.

After ranking the carbs per serving, least expensive at the bottom, most expensive at the top, do the same for protein.

It has poultry, beef, pork, lamb, fish that are sold as fresh, pre-packaged, deli counters, or refrigerated. For fish, there is fresh, canned, frozen or refrigerated.

Now, we want to base our menus on the less expensive ones. In New England, where I live, I would find the least expensive of regular sliced ​​bread or a potato variety, with home-cooked chicken, or ground beef or pork. Obviously, everything changes from week to week as supermarkets and grocery stores have sales.

An important point is to be careful about the spices you choose. Some are very expensive. They will rarely be used in your kitchen and will eventually be thrown away, costing you $50.00 or more per pound. Some spices cost more than $100.00 per pound.

For sandwiches, the choice would be sliced ​​bread with homemade protein fillings. But let’s start with the stuffed potato. It is very simple and takes about an hour to prepare.

You can only ruin it if you don’t pay attention and burn the ingredients in the pan, so don’t talk on your cell phone or practice your reggae.

If you cook the onion-meat mixture in the morning, you can cover it and refrigerate it. You can then bake the potatoes and fill them with the reheated meat mixture. The best way to reheat is to boil 1/4 cup of broth, chicken or vegetable. Lower the heat and add the meat, stirring. Do not boil. Stir until heated through. Add the potato and mix lightly. Fill the shells as indicated below.

For eight people:

• Eight medium baking potatoes
• Two chicken breasts, cut into small pieces
• Two hot dogs, thinly sliced
• a pound of ground beef
• one red bell pepper, 1/2 of it diced, the other 1/2 cut into eight equal strips then halved, sliced ​​diagonally
• Three onions, chopped
• 1 teaspoon soy sauce
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon ground oregano
• 1/2 cup red wine, or broth, vegetable or chicken
• 1/2 cup olive oil or canola oil
• 4 ounces frozen peas, thawed
• 2 sticks of butter, each cut into 8 pieces for a total of 16 pieces
• salt and pepper

Sauté the onion in the oil. Eliminate. Add the ground beef and cook until it loses its color. Withdraw and reserve. Cook chicken rapidly until pieces are medium-firm to the touch. Withdraw and reserve. Add the remaining ingredients and cook for 15 minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste. Add the onions, peas, and meats. Mix lightly and keep warm, covered tightly, adding broth if mixture begins to dry out.

When the potatoes are ready, about an hour, let them cool so you can handle them. Cut each one in half carefully so as not to damage the shell. You now have 16 halves. Cut the potato into small pieces and mix lightly with the meat mixture. Scoop the mixture back into the potato skins, and then arrange the potato halves on two large plates. Cover lightly with foil and keep warm in the oven for up to 15 minutes or they will dry out. When ready to serve, put a piece of butter on each stuffed potato and add a strip of red pepper. Optional: a make-your-own blue cheese dip with ounces of crumbled blue cheese in a cup of mayonnaise.

Pass a plate with sliced ​​cucumbers, gherkins, olives. Then all you need is something to drink.

Another idea for a Teen Party Menu Challenge is to have a Café party where you cook while everyone watches. You have all the ingredients prepared ahead of time and then you just put the sandwiches together. Maybe you can find a chef’s hat for the cook. Have a buffet table or counter stocked with glasses, sodas, and juices so they can help themselves.

Hot sandwiches:

• Grilled Ham and Cheese Sandwich
• Roasted Turkey Club Sandwich
• melted tuna

Golden cold sandwiches:

• egg on fire
• Salt Mountain Cheese
• tennessee smoked

Find recipes for the sandwiches on the recipe page below.