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Flavor and Festivity: New Braunfels Dining, Holiday Delights, and Local Treasures

Posted by Mayfair on November 26, 2024

The holiday season is all about joy, warmth, festive get-togethers, and, of course, delicious food. In the spirit of celebrating the festive season by way of our taste buds, the team at Mayfair is delighted to share some of our favorite holiday recipes and local New Braunfels dining and shopping secrets so you can find the perfect ingredient to elevate your holiday feast or a last-minute stocking stuffer for the fellow foodie in your life. 

Sharing food around the holidays is a great way to connect with loved ones and create lasting memories that carry into the new year and beyond. Whether it’s a “Friendsgiving” potluck, a traditional dinner with your extended family, or your neighborhood cookie exchange, preparing and enjoying food as a family or community holds deep cultural and spiritual significance for many people.

Here in New Braunfels, TX, we’re fortunate to have access to so many fresh, local ingredients from farmers’ markets and specialty shops to make our holiday dishes even more special. We are also inspired by the intricately interwoven threads of cultural traditions, from old-world Bavarian sausages to some of the best Tex-Mex we’ve ever tasted to our very own wine and olive oil producers in the adjacent Texas Hill Country.

Join us on this culinary journey through mouth-watering recipes, cherished holiday traditions, and the best New Braunfels has to offer.

The Mayfair Team’s Favorite Holiday Recipes

From our hearts and families to your own, we hope these recipes are gifts that keep giving year after year. Whether you’re looking for feasting staples, unique ideas, or sweet treats, the Mayfair team has got you covered this holiday season.

Green Bean Casserole

Todd Richert, Broker

Let’s start it off with Todd’s perfected version of a must-have Thanksgiving side dish: green bean casserole. Cream of mushroom soup and milk (use whole milk or even whipping cream for maximum thickness) come together to form a rich medium for succulent green beans and crispy onions.

Ingredients: 

• 2 cans of green beans (substitute fresh if desired) 
• 1 can cream of mushroom soup 
• ½ cup milk 
• 1 tsp soy sauce 
• Black pepper as desired 
• 1 1/3 cups french fried onion rings 

Instructions: 

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. 
• Stir soup mix, soy sauce, milk, black pepper, green beans, and 2/3 of the onion rings together in a 1 ½ quart casserole dish. 
• Bake for 25 minutes or until bubbling. 
• Remove and stir; add the remaining onion rings on top. 
• Bake for an additional 5 minutes or until onions are golden brown.

Butter Bundt Bread

Thad Rutherford, President & CEO

What could be better than a steaming bundt bread fresh from the oven on a holiday morning? Thad’s recipe makes it easy for a busy family to treat themselves on Christmas morning (or any morning) by allowing packaged biscuits to do the heavy lifting.

Ingredients: 

• 1 stick butter 
• 3 packages of Hungry Jack biscuits (10 oz) 

Instructions: 

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. 
• Melt one stick of butter in a bundt pan. 
• Arrange the biscuits in the pan without separating them. 
• Bake for 25-35 minutes. 
• Use a rack to cool.

Grandma’s Simple Sage Cornbread Stuffing

Terry Ramirez, Vice President of Operations

Real Thanksgiving connoisseurs know that stuffing can make or break a meal. Terry has us covered with this savory classic stuffing.

Ingredients: 

• 6 cups of pre-prepared cornbread, slightly stale/dry and broken into chunks 
• ½ stick of butter 
• 3-4 stalks of celery, chopped 
• 1 large onion, diced 
• 1 cup turkey, chicken, or vegetable stock 

• 2 tablespoons sage (fresh chopped if available, dried if not) 

Instructions: 

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. 
• Melt your butter in a large skillet, ideally cast iron. 
• Cook onion and celery until they just start to soften and become translucent. 
• Add half of your stock and simmer on low heat for 5 minutes, uncovered. 
• Turn off the heat. Stir in the cornbread, sage, and the rest of the stock. 
• Dump the stuffing mix into a baking dish and bake for about 30 minutes, or until the top layer of stuffing begins to brown and crisp.

Green Stuff Recipe 

Noelle Hemphill, Lifestye Coordinator

This make-ahead recipe from Noelle takes some of the stress out of Thanksgiving day food preparation!

Ingredients:

• 3.4 ounce package instant pistachio pudding mix
• 20 ounce can crushed pineapple 
• 2 cups mini marshmallows
• 1/2 cup pecans chopped
• 8 ounce container Cool Whip thawed

Instructions:

Start by mixing together the dry pudding mix, crushed pineapple, mini marshmallows, and chopped pecans. 

Next, fold in the thawed Cool Whip until well combined.

Chill overnight and have it ready to serve the next day.

Thanksgiving Dressing

James Tipton, Development Manager

No matter how you lean in the stuffing-dressing debate, James has got you covered with this wonderfully savory Thanksgiving dressing.

Ingredients: 

• 1 bag Pepperidge Farm cornbread stuffing 
• 1 bag Pepperidge Farm herb-seasoned stuffing 
• 1 lb breakfast sausage 
• 1 cup onion, chopped 
• 1 cup celery, chopped 

• 3 eggs 
• ¼ cup butter, melted 
• 4 cups chicken broth 

Instructions: 

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. 
• Mix stuffing, eggs, and butter. 
• In a skillet, brown the sausage, then add the celery and onion. Cook until translucent. 
• Add the sausage and vegetables to the stuffing mix. 
• Add chicken broth until the stuffing is very moist. 
• Bake for 30 minutes or until fully heated through.

Slow Cooker Pumpkin Pecan Bread Pudding

Kristi Robinson, Director of Marketing & Community Relations

Bread puddings and pecan-based treats make for hearty, wholesome favorites for many families this time of year, and Kristi’s pumpkin-fueled take maximizes those holiday vibes. This slow cooker recipe allows you to set it and forget it while you work on your wrapping and decorating.

Ingredients: 

• 8 cups stale (or oven-dried) bread, cut into cubes 
• ½ cup toasted pecans, chopped 
• ½ cup cinnamon chips 

• 4 eggs 
• 1 cup canned pumpkin (pure pumpkin, not pumpkin pie filling) 
• 1 cup heavy cream 
• ½ cup brown sugar, packed 
• ½ cup butter, melted 
• 1 tsp vanilla 
• ½ tsp cinnamon 
• ½ tsp nutmeg 
• ¼ tsp ground ginger 
• 1/8 tsp ground cloves 

Instructions: 

• Grease your slow cooker and place your bread cubes, cinnamon chips, and toasted pecans inside. 
• Whisk your eggs with the pumpkin, cream, sugar, butter, and spices. 
• Pour the egg mixture over the bread cubes; if necessary, stir very gently to ensure complete coating. 
• Place the lid on your slow cooker and cook on low heat for around 4 hours. 
• Optional: Serve with vanilla ice cream!

Mayfair’s Favorite Holiday Traditions and Decor 

What good is an epic Christmas feast if you don’t have the decor to go with it and great people to join the celebration? The crew at Mayfair also has some thoughts about those all-important holiday aesthetics and the beloved family traditions that stand the test of time: 

• Tree decorating (James Tipton). “Whenever our tree goes up (usually the first week of November), everyone in the house takes turns hanging their personal Christmas ornaments until the tree is full. It’s a simple but fun time to get together and watch that year’s tree come to life.” 
• Advent calendars (Kristi Robinson). “My favorite home decoration is our advent calendar. My mom made it when our daughter was born, and we count down the days until Christmas by pinning fabric items to the holiday scene. As she got older, we started racing to see who could mark the most—it helps my record greatly now that she’s a teenager and sleeps in half the month!” 
• Cut-your-own Christmas tree (Thad Rutherford). “I loved when I used to take the kids to Elgin and cut down a Christmas tree, even in Texas! (Although it was small…)” 
• Christmas morning stockings (Terry Ramirez). “I love having the stockings hanging empty all month long. In our house, Santa fills the stockings, so it’s always a joy to watch the kids (at any age) come down Christmas morning to see their stockings filled.” 
• Christmas light cruise (Todd Richert). “My favorite Christmas tradition is driving around on Christmas Eve looking at Christmas lights, then heading to midnight mass.”
• Hidden Pickle Ornament (Noelle Hemphill). “On Christmas morning, we search for a hidden pickle ornament in the Christmas tree. The first person to find it gets a prize. I believe this is an old German tradition.”

Mayfair’s Favorite Holiday Hotspots for Shopping

New Braunfels’ charming downtown offers a unique opportunity to get out and experience the magic of the holiday season firsthand. Stroll down the beautifully decorated streets, explore one-of-a-kind boutiques, and find local treasures you won’t discover anywhere else. From cozy shops with locally made gifts to specialty stores brimming with festive vibes, holiday shopping in New Braunfels is about the experience as much as it’s about your gift list.

If you still need some gift ideas, these New Braunfels restaurants and gift shops are Holiday game-changers. Here are some of our favorite local shopping (and eating) secrets: 

• Farmer’s Market & 2tarts (James Tipton). “We’re big fans of the farmers market that sets up in the Krause parking lot every Saturday. There are so many different vendors and random things you can buy, from food to houseplants. We are also guaranteed to make our way through 2tarts at least once over the holidays for a fun treat.” 
• The Local & Huisache Grill (Noelle Hemphill). “We love shopping at The Local in New Braunfels for Christmas presents because it offers unique, custom finds while supporting small vendors of New Braunfels. Afterward, we love stopping by Huisache Grill for their tortilla soup, especially on colder days.”
• New Braunfels Smokehouse & Stahlman’s at Bear Creek (Kristi Robinson). “I always stop by New Braunfels Smokehouse during the holidays for Pecan and Raspberry Kringle. They are delicious! Then Stahlman’s at Bear Creek has amazing local jams, jellies, sauces, and even cute fresh holiday décor.” 
• New Braunfels Candle Company. Everyone loves a nice candle for a Christmas present, and you won’t find any finer than the handmade offerings right here in New Braunfels at the New Braunfels Candle Company on Castell Avenue. In addition to some of the highest quality candles in Texas, they also have candle-making classes and a lovely line of bath and body products. 
• New Braunfels Art League. For a truly one-of-a-kind gift, there’s no better source than your friendly local artists—and the New Braunfels Art League has the work of hundreds of them curated in one convenient location for shopping or just a little art appreciation. Put the New Braunfels Art League on your list of destinations for holiday shopping this year, and you’re sure to find something brand new for that person who truly has everything. 

We always love a chance to shout out some of our New Braunfels favorites; our hometown has a vibrant economy, with new businesses trying their hand every year. However, temporary events like art shows and craft fairs also offer unique opportunities for picking up meaningful gifts with local flavor. Sometimes, our favorite shopping experiences in New Braunfels happen when we simply take a walk and see what we can find.

Mayfair – Your Home for the Holidays and New Braunfels Dining

The whole team at Mayfair would like to wish you and yours a wonderful holiday season this year, and we look forward to seeing you in the new year. However you choose to celebrate this time of year with your family and your community, we hope it will involve lots of laughs, hugs, and memories made (plus some great food). For more great tips on New Braunfels living, and to stay up to date on all developments at Mayfair, including new units available, please bookmark our website and visit often.