Global Grilled Cheese Olympic Entertaining

The Olympic Games are just days away and people across the globe will be gathering around their TVs to catch all of the action. When everyone is together cheering on their team, what will they need? Food! 

If you're throwing a viewing party, now is the time to get creative. While it's certainly possible to create a different dish from all participating countries, that idea can get both expensive and create tons of leftovers. Instead, why not whip up a little mash-up? Here, your favorite international cheeses and crusty, hearty breads are coming together to create both a comfort-food favorite and an appropriate Olympic-themed dish.

In celebration of the games, the athletes, and their cheering sections, Maria Zoitas, creator of Made by Maria's homemade line of prepared foods sold exclusively at Westside Market NYC, has created the following Olympic Grilled Cheese recipes featuring cheeses from all over the world. These recipes may be the only times these countries meet in harmony during the games!

Maria's Olympic Grilled Cheese Recipes

• Place a slice of Kefalograviera (Greece), Kerrygold (Ireland), and red Gouda (Holland) cheese on two slices of old country bread. Spread with a bit of butter and place on a hot pan or panini press until the cheese melts. These cheeses create a perfect combination of salty and sweet.

• Combine slices of Raclette (Switzerland), organic sharp Cheddar (Australia), and Asiago (Italy) on slices of focaccia (Italy) bread, spread with a bit of butter, and place on a hot pan or panini press until the cheese melts. All of these cheeses will melt together to create a silky smooth interior to the crunchy bread exterior.

• Combine Limburger (Germany), a unique aged soft cheese, with Pepper Jack cheese (America), sprinkled with spicy peppers, on slices of Pullman bread, spread with a bit of butter, and place on a hot pan or panini press until the cheese melts. According to Zoitas, this combination creates the ultimate grilled cheese.