Christmas Recipe Exchange Roundup!

Our first annual Christmas Recipe Exchange was a great success with almost 50 recipes submitted from across BC! Thanks to everyone for sharing your fabulous recipes.

And a big congrats to our winner, Marg McKenzie whose recipe for Dresden Stollen was pulled from the hat. The Kitchen Aid Mixer will definitely go to great use in her home. Marg tells us she makes dozens of Stollen’s each year around Christmas. In her family, it simply wouldn’t be Christmas without the Stollen. We had to find out why! Here’s a mini interview with our first ever Christmas Recipe Exchange winner!

BT: So what exactly is a Stollen?

MM: A Stollen is a traditional German Christmas bread. It is a sweet bread with eggs and milk and lots of fruit and nuts and flavored with almond and cinnamon and usually rum or other alcohol. I substitute orange juice but the old recipe actually soaks the fruit in a half cup of rum. It is delicious! My family starts looking forward to it around the end of November. This recipe is one of two very special family recipes that my girls and I use every year.

BT: How many Stollens do you make each year?

MM: I make about one batch (six loaves) each week after the first of December till Christmas.  I package them and pop them into the freezer for gifts to almost anyone who means something to me during December—the plumber, friends and neighbours and co-workers. They also make great hostess gifts!

BT: How long has this recipe been in your family?

MM: I have been making it for over 35 years and my girls (I have three grown daughters now) are all making it in their own homes. It would not be Christmas breakfast without the Stollen : )

BT: Why is the Stollen so special to you?

MM: Well, ever since my husband spent four years with the military in Germany, he fell in love with the German Christmas traditions and cooking. He brought us back a really good German cookbook and that cookbook is where this recipe comes from. It is different from the usual Canadian Christmas baking but has become very special to our family. As the girls grew up we created our own Christmas traditions and one of their favorites was having sliced Stollen, toasted and spread with homemade strawberry jam and fancy cheese for Christmas morning breakfast.

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Again, a big thanks to Marg and to all of you who have shared your recipes with us over the past two weeks! When we launched this contest, we thought we were going to get Christmas recipes, but in the spirit of giving, we got all sorts of amazing dinner ideas, desserts, and appetizers. Here are some of our favorite holiday recipes to inspire you over Christmas!  

Kale Wreath: Shared by dietitian Debbie Leach, this is a delightful side dish. It’s creative, festive, healthy and delicious.  

Brussel Sprouts with Bacon: It’s true what they say. Bacon really does make everything more delicious! Need we say more? A great idea for a Christmas dinner side dish.

Who can resist a Cranberry Bark? Red cranberries, green pistachios and white chocolate = festive. It’s beautiful, delicious and always seems to be the first to disappear from the dessert tray.

Leftover Turkey Tex Mex Soup: This looks like an exciting way to use leftover turkey! Can’t wait to try this out next week.

Happy Holidays everyone!