Throw an Olympic Party!
By: Christine M. Porretta
You don't need a ring-side or slope-side view of the ice skaters or skiers to fully enjoy the winter Olympics -- minus the windchill! -- from your own home.
"Watching the Olympics is such a special time -- it feels so patriotic," says gold medalist and Food Network host Brian Boitano of the show What Would Brian Boitano Make? (the new season airs in March). "It's a time when parents can share things with their kids, and it really does bring family families together," he adds. "People remember where they were and what they were doing when watching gold-medal performances."
Boitano offers these tips for how you can create your own memorable Olympic-worthy bash for your little party animals who want to celebrate this special event.
WINNING SANDWICHES
Kids can root for their favorite country with every bite.
What you need: Sports-themed cookie cutters (e.g., hockey sticks or ice skates) and miniature flag toothpicks, which can easily be purchased online.
What to make: A variety of sandwiches, such as ham and cheese, grilled cheese, or pastrami. Next, give the kids the cookie cutters to turn their food into their favorite winter-themed sport. Last, they can stick a flag into their sandwiches to represent the country they’re rooting for.
Other uses: Stick the flags in cupcakes or use the cutters to make a variety of cookies in different winter-sports shapes.
CANADIAN-INSPIRED EATS
- "Vancouver is known for its seafood, so if kids like shellfish, they can make their own crab crostini by taking the cooked crab and mixing it with avocado or mayo and salt and pepper, then putting it on a French baguette," says Boitano. Tip: No need to wrestle with shelling crabs -- just check your supermarket for canned crabmeat.
- Or whip up your own version of Canada's own Nanaimo bars, he says. You can make a graham cracker crust using your favorite recipe, then add a thin layer of melted marshmallow to it, and top it off with another thin layer of melted chocolate. Let cool and cut into bars.
OLYMPIC-STYLE DECORATING
- Get a white tablecloth and have the kids decorate it with napkins that are the colors of the Olympic rings (blue, black, red, yellow, and green).
- Or give them paper plates to decorate with crayons or markers and then lay out as the Olympic rings.
- The kids can also draw skaters, skiers, or jumpers on the plates and scatter them around the table.
- Before the party, kids can cut out pictures of winter athletes from magazines. If you get the cutouts laminated beforehand, you can arrange them on the table for the party. Or children can glue craft sticks to them to hold or to put in a cake or cupcake.
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