Olive Cheese Bread

by Elizabeth

We have a new favorite party trick! This olive cheese bread is super easy to prepare for a crowd (in advance!), full of cheesy, salty goodness, and everyone loves it. We cooked it on the grill this weekend so we could snack on it outside while the  main course was still cooking (and you know, avoid leaving it in the oven unattended and burning it to a crisp as I’m prone to do during cookouts). If you don’t have a crowd, the recipe is easily halved, or you can make the full recipe and flash freeze half for last minute entertaining.

Olive Cheese Bread, from Pioneer Woman

serves 12

1 loaf french bread
1 stick of butter, softened
8 oz Monterrey Jack Cheese, grated
1/2 cup mayonnaise
2 green onions, minced
6 oz green olives with pimentos, roughly chopped
6 oz black olives, roughly chopped

Mix the butter, cheese, mayonnaise, onions, and olives together in a large bowl. Slice the french bread in half lengthwise. You can then cut each piece in half crosswise, they fit more nicely on a baking sheet that way. Spread each piece of bread generously with the olive mixture – it might look like too much but never fear, you want all that good stuff. Be sure to spread it all the way to the edges too. Bread can be refrigerated or frozen at this point until you’re ready to serve it.

To cook, either bake at 350˙ for 15 – 20 minutes, or place on your grill for 5 – 10 minutes. The cheese should be fully melted and gooey, and the bread crisp. Cut into 1 inch wide slices to serve.