Pioneer Woman’s Olive Cheese Bread

My family and I have been Ree Drummond, aka the Pioneer Woman, fans for quite some time.  We laugh at Charlie the Basset Hound’s antics, swoon over the cowboys on her ranch (okay, I was the only one swooning), and gain plenty of calories from her out-of-this-world recipes.  Her photos are amazing, her children are adorable, what’s not to love, people?!

One of my family’s favorite recipes of her’s is her Olive Cheese Bread.  It is truly a combination of good and evil crammed into a slice of french bread.  One of the ingredients is real mayonnaise and in her recipe, she specifically says not to use low fat or fat free mayonnaise.  But being a health conscious person and bit of a rebel, I couldn't help but ask “What would happen if I ‘accidently’ used low fat real mayonnaise?”  Between the butter, cheese, and olives, I don't want to know how many calories are in this and using low fat mayonnaise probably isn't going to save me many calories, but every little bit helps, right?  So with that on my mind and the spirit of adventure in my heart, I made Pioneer Woman’s Olive Cheese Bread, with low fat mayonnaise.

Original recipe here.  It’s a great read and I highly recommend it.

Pioneer Woman’s Olive Cheese Bread

1 loaf French Bread

6 ounces, weight Pimiento-stuffed Green Olives

6 ounces, weight Black Olives

2 stalks Green Onions (scallions)

1 stick Butter, Room Temperature

1/2 cup (low fat) Mayonnaise,

3/4 pounds Monterey Jack Cheese, Grated

1.  Drain the cans of olives, place them on a cutting board and give them a good chopping.

 

Note:  If you don't like green olives or black olives, you can use two cans of the kind you do like.  Also, if you don't like olives at all, sun-dried tomatoes, mushrooms, or cooked bacon chopped into small pieces could be a good replacement.

2.  Dice up the green onions.

3.  Put the butter, mayonnaise, cheese, chopped olives, and green onions into a mixing bowl.  Stir them up real good.  

4.  Take you french bread and cut it lengthwise, so you have two long have pieces.  Place the bread onto a cookie sheet.  Spread your cheese mixture on both pieces of bread.  It’s going to seem like a lot, but don't worry, it will melt down into the bread.

5.  Put the bread into an oven which has been preheated to 325 degrees and bake for 25 minutes, or until the cheese mixture is melted and the bread is a light golden brown.

6. Let the bread cool and then slice it up anyway you want... or don’t, you could eat it all in one foul swoop.

So there you have it!  I couldn't taste any difference from using low fat mayo, but if you are an Olive Cheese Bread connoisseur, perhaps you can. Though, I doubt it’s very noticeable. Unless you don't like olives, I have never met a person who could say no to this Olive Cheese Bread.  It’s perfect for a girl's night in, or by yourself on a rainy evening.  Actually, don’t make it for yourself, because you risk eating the whole loaf.  Enjoy!