The Summer Olympics are a great reason to celebrate and throw a party, and not just in London where the actual Games will take place. Here are a few quick food and decoration ideas ranging from British-inspired cheese dip to USA-spirited treats. Follow these suggestions and your Olympic-themed party is sure to win a gold medal.

Start off with some simple decorations. Arrange American flags or the flags of other countries to show your spirit and support. Include brochures or other articles that distinguish London, the location of the Games. Decorate with gold accents to represent the gold medals awarded during the Olympics.

Once you finish the decorations, start planning the party events. Organize guests onto different countries and play trivia games or set up simple relay races or challenges. Keep track of the winners, either individually or by team.
The friendly competition will keep guests engaged and will eliminate the possibility of a boring moment, especially when an award ceremony awaits them at the end of the party. Of course, a party isn’t a party without food, so here is a variety of recipes that will make your guests hope you start throwing parties more often.

Medal Winning Sugar Cookies

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Ingredients:

Sift together in a medium-sized bowl:

•    2 ½ cups sifted all purpose flour
•    1 ½ teaspoons double-acting baking powder
•    ¾ teaspoon salt
•    1 teaspoon cinnamon or ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
In larger bowl combine:
•    1 cup sugar
•    ¾ cup vegetable oil
Add to this mixture and beat well after each addition:
•    2 eggs
•    1 teaspoon vanilla
Directions:
Add the flour mixture all at once and beat until just mixed. Shape the dough into ½-inch balls and place on a lightly greased cookie sheet.
Flatten with glass bottom that has been dipped in granulated sugar. Bake about 11 to 13
minutes until lightly brown on edges. Cool on rack. Makes about 5 dozen cookies.

Directions:
When cookies have cooled, ice with frosting and sprinkle with gold and silver
decorations. You can use this recipe or your favorite cookie recipe. You could even try a variety of flavors or food coloring in the icing to make the cookies look even more like medals.

Olympic Ring Fruit Tray

Ingredients:

•    1 container of blueberries
•    1 pineapple (peeled and cored) cut into small pieces
•    1 container of blackberries
•    1 large bunch of green grapes
•    1 container of raspberries
Directions:
Arrange individual fruits into rings on large tray to follow the Olympic Ring pattern: blue, yellow, black, green and red. Be creative with the types of fruit or other food used to make the pattern. Feel free to change up what type of food you use based on personal preference or making the colors more authentic to the logo.

USA Olympic Jell-O

Ingredients:
•    2 8-ounce packages of red Jell-O
•    3 cups boiling water
•    2 ¼ cups cold water
•    non-stick spray
•    Jello mold, or a cookie cutter
Directions:
Spray Jello-O mold with non-stick spray. Any type of spray will work, such as Pam or even regular butter. Combine boiling water with Jell-O mix (in a patriotic flavor or color) and let it dissolve. Add cold water and pour the jello into the mold. Set overnight. Dip mold into warm, but not boiling, water to help unmold the jello map. It may be difficult to find a Jello-O mold like the one used, but try finding maybe a flag or star one, or
anything else that is patriotic. Another idea is to make Jell-O Jigglers and use cookie cutters to shape them like stars.

English Pub Cheese Spread

Ingredients:
•    8 oz. regular cream cheese, softened
•    1 5 oz. container Kraft Old English cheese spread (comes in a small glass)
•    8 oz. extra sharp cheddar cheese, grated
•    ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
•    1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
•    1 teaspoon horseradish
Directions:
Mix all ingredients in large mixing bowl. Beat with electric mixer until the cheese spread is smooth. Serve with English water crackers (for a more authentic touch) or raw vegetables, like carrots, peppers or celery. With this delicious spread, guests will feel like they are experiencing the Olympic Games right in the heart of London.

Olympic Colors Trail Mix

Ingredients:
•    2 cups Rice Chex cereal
•    2 cups small pretzels
•    1 8-ounce package white chocolate pretzels
•    1 16-ounce package M & M’s plain candies
(orange M & M’s removed)
•    Additional Red and Green Sixlet candies
Directions:
Mix all ingredients in large mixing bowl. Fill small treat bags with one cup trail mix and tie with red ribbon, or ribbon the colors of the different Olympic rings. This makes a great party favor because it’s fast and easy to make individualized bags for each guest. Feel free to use different ingredients to represent the ring colors. This snack is super easy to make your own with whatever you have at home. Plus, everyone loves trail mix.