Thanksgiving Part 1 | November 5, 2026
Thanksgiving looks different for everyone.
Some families spend hours in the kitchen preparing a turkey with all the traditional fixings. Others order dinner, go out to eat, or have their own traditions that might seem a little unusual to someone else.
My family? We're definitely not traditional.
I honestly can't remember the last time my dad and I had a Thanksgiving dinner with a turkey and all the fixings. More often than not, our Thanksgiving dinner consists of steak and shrimp. And you know what? I wouldn't have it any other way.
But no matter what ends up on our Thanksgiving table, there's one thing I can always count on: my dad having his can of cranberry sauce.
It's his favorite. It doesn't matter what else we're eating. He's going to have his cranberries.
As for me? Give me an excessive amount of mashed potatoes and gravy and a copious amount of green bean casserole, and I'm a happy camper.
I don't need a perfectly roasted turkey or a table full of traditional dishes to enjoy Thanksgiving. I just want good food, good company, and maybe enough leftovers to eat the next day.
That's one of the things I love about Thanksgiving. Every family has its own traditions, recipes, and little quirks that make the holiday theirs.
And sometimes, the dishes we look forward to the most aren't the fancy ones. They're the ones we've grown up eating, the ones someone always requests, or the ones that just wouldn't feel right missing from the table.
For this month's Client Kitchen, I'm sharing two of my own recipes that I love making around the holidays.
My Green Bean Casserole — One of my personal Thanksgiving favorites, because in my opinion, there's no such thing as too much green bean casserole.
My Cheesy Garlic Pull-Apart Bread — A savory, buttery bread I've been making for years, with a newer twist that completely changed its flavor.
Whether you're making a traditional Thanksgiving dinner, grilling steaks, cooking seafood, or doing something completely different, these recipes can find a place at your table.
Because at the end of the day, Thanksgiving isn't about having the perfect meal.
It's about the people, the memories, and the traditions that make it yours.
Recipe One: Kayla's Green Bean Casserole
Green bean casserole has always been one of my favorite Thanksgiving dishes. And when I say favorite, I mean I could probably eat an unreasonable amount of it and still go back for more.
I remember being about 13 or 14 years old when my former stepmom let me make green bean casserole. It's one of those little memories that has stuck with me over the years.
As I've gotten older, the recipe has changed a little. I've added a few things, adjusted others, and made it more my own. But one thing hasn't changed: it's still just as delicious.
And I do have one very important rule when it comes to my green bean casserole.
The green beans HAVE to be French-cut.
Will I eat green bean casserole made with regular green beans? Sure. But do I like it nearly as much? Absolutely not.
There's just something about the texture of French-cut green beans that makes the casserole so much better to me.
This version is creamy, cheesy, full of flavor, and topped with plenty of crispy French-fried onions. Because, let's be serious, can you really have too many of those?
Ingredients
2 cans French-cut green beans, drained
1 small onion, thinly sliced
1 can (10.5 oz) cream of mushroom soup
½–¾ cup milk
1½ cups French-fried onions (or as much as your heart desires)
½ cup mild cheddar cheese, divided
1 tablespoon butter
Garlic powder, to taste
Salt and pepper, to taste
Instructions
1. Preheat the oven.
Preheat your oven to 350°F. Lightly grease a 9×9-inch or 2-quart baking dish.
2. Sauté the onion.
Thinly slice your small onion. Melt the butter in a skillet over medium heat, then add the onion.
Cook until softened, stirring occasionally. This helps take away some of that sharp onion bite while bringing out its natural sweetness.
3. Prepare the green beans.
Drain both cans of French-cut green beans and set them aside.
4. Make the creamy mixture.
In a large mixing bowl, combine the cream of mushroom soup, ½ cup of milk, salt, pepper, garlic powder, and half of the shredded cheddar cheese.
Mix until combined. Add more milk as needed, up to ¾ cup, depending on how creamy you like your casserole.
5. Combine everything.
Add the drained green beans and sautéed onions to the soup mixture.
Gently stir until everything is evenly coated.
6. Assemble the casserole.
Pour the mixture into your prepared baking dish.
Sprinkle the remaining cheddar cheese over the top, followed by half of the French-fried onions.
7. Bake.
Place the casserole in the oven and bake for 25 minutes.
8. Add the finishing touch.
Remove the casserole from the oven and sprinkle the remaining French-fried onions over the top.
9. Finish baking.
Return to the oven for another 5–10 minutes, or until the onions are golden brown and crispy and the casserole is hot and bubbling.
10. Serve and enjoy!
Let the casserole rest for a few minutes before serving.
Kayla's Kitchen Notes
Extra mushrooms: A few times, I've sautéed mushrooms and added them to the casserole. They add a little more texture and an earthy flavor that goes really well with the creamy mushroom sauce.
French-fried onions: I say 1½ cups, but let's be real. Measure those with your heart. If you love a crunchy topping, add a little extra.
French-cut green beans: This is my personal preference, and I'm sticking to it! Regular green beans will work, but French-cut will always be my favorite.
Garlic powder: I add garlic powder directly to the soup mixture. I don't measure it exactly; I season it to my liking.
A Little Something to Remember
Sometimes the recipes we keep making aren't necessarily the fanciest or most complicated ones. They're the ones that remind us of being younger, learning something new in the kitchen, or sharing a meal with people who were part of our lives.
This casserole has changed with me over the years, but that memory of being a teenager and getting to make it has stayed.
And that's one of my favorite things about cooking. A recipe can grow and change, but the memories behind it don't have to disappear.
Recipe Two: Kayla's Cheesy Garlic Pull-Apart Bread
Two Ways: Traditional Loaf or Monkey-Bread Style
There's something about homemade bread that makes a meal feel a little more special. Especially when it's warm, buttery, loaded with cheese, and full of garlic.
I've been making this pull-apart bread for about four years now. Sometimes I make it as a traditional pull-apart loaf, and other times I make it monkey-bread style. Both are delicious, and honestly, it just depends on what I'm in the mood to make.
Originally, I made this bread using garlic powder and minced garlic. And while I loved the garlic flavor, I noticed that it had a little too much of a bite for some of my clients.
One thing I've learned through cooking for others is that sometimes the smallest changes can make the biggest difference. What tastes wonderful to one person might be too strong for someone else.
Recently, I started experimenting with black garlic, and it completely changed the flavor profile of this bread.
Instead of that sharp garlic bite, black garlic brings a rich, mellow, slightly sweet, savory flavor that blends beautifully with the butter and cheeses.
And let me tell you, my family loves black garlic!
I typically use an entire bulb, although I've made it with half a bulb before, and it still turns out delicious.
The bread itself hasn't changed all that much over the years, but changing the type of garlic made a world of difference.
That's something I love about cooking, especially when cooking for clients. You can keep the heart of a recipe while making little adjustments to better suit the people you're preparing it for.
And sometimes, those adjustments end up making a recipe even better than the original.
What Is Black Garlic?
If you've never heard of black garlic, you might be wondering what makes it different from the garlic you're used to cooking with.
Black garlic isn't a special variety of garlic. It's regular garlic that has been aged under carefully controlled heat and humidity for several weeks.
During that process, the cloves turn black, become soft and almost sticky, and develop a completely different flavor.
Unlike fresh garlic, black garlic doesn't have that same sharp, pungent bite. Instead, it has a mellow sweetness with rich, savory notes that some people compare to balsamic vinegar, molasses, or caramel.
And no, it's not burnt garlic!
Its soft, almost paste-like texture makes it easy to blend into the buttery cheese filling.
For this recipe, I recommend using ½ to 1 whole bulb of black garlic. Half a bulb gives you a milder flavor, while a whole bulb gives you a richer black garlic taste.
Personally, I usually go with the whole bulb.
It's one of those ingredients that shows how something as simple as changing your garlic can completely transform a dish.
Ingredients
For the Dough
3½ cups (420 g) all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons active dry yeast (or 1 teaspoon instant yeast)
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
1¼ teaspoons salt
½ cup (120 ml) lukewarm milk
⅓ cup (about 76 g) softened butter
1¼ cups (300 ml) warm water, approximately 105°F
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon dried rosemary
For the Cheesy Garlic Filling
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese, sharp or mild
½ cup shredded Parmesan cheese
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
1 stick (½ cup) softened butter
½–1 whole bulb of black garlic, cloves peeled
Extras
1 egg, beaten, for an optional egg wash
1–2 tablespoons olive oil, for greasing
Instructions
1. Activate the yeast.
In a small bowl, combine the warm water, yeast, and sugar. Let sit for 5–10 minutes, until the mixture becomes foamy.
If using instant yeast, you can mix it directly into the dry ingredients instead.
2. Prepare the dough.
In a large mixing bowl, combine the flour, salt, garlic powder, and dried rosemary.
Add the lukewarm milk, softened butter, and yeast mixture.
Mix until a dough forms, then knead until smooth and elastic, approximately 8–10 minutes by hand or 5–7 minutes using a stand mixer with a dough hook.
The dough should be soft and slightly tacky. If it's too wet to handle, add flour a tablespoon at a time until you can knead it.
3. Let the dough rise.
Shape the dough into a ball and place it in a lightly greased bowl.
Cover with a clean kitchen towel or plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place until doubled in size, approximately 1–1½ hours.
4. Make the cheesy garlic filling.
Peel the black garlic cloves and mash them into the softened butter.
Add the cheddar, Parmesan, and mozzarella cheeses.
Using a hand mixer or stand mixer, blend until creamy and well combined.
The filling should be soft enough to spread over the dough.
Option One: Traditional Pull-Apart Loaf
Roll the risen dough onto a lightly floured surface until approximately ¼ inch thick.
Cut the dough into 12–16 squares or sections.
Spread the cheesy garlic filling over each piece.
Fold each piece in half and arrange them upright in a greased loaf pan, with the folded edges facing down.
Continue layering until the pan is filled, leaving a little room for the dough to rise.
Option Two: Monkey-Bread Style
Divide the risen dough into small, bite-sized pieces.
Lightly grease a Bundt pan or another suitable baking dish.
Arrange a layer of dough pieces in the bottom.
Add some of the cheesy garlic filling.
Continue layering dough and filling until everything is used.
Distribute the filling throughout so every piece gets some cheesy garlic goodness.
Finishing and Baking
5. Let the bread rise again.
Cover the prepared bread and allow it to rise for another 30–45 minutes, or until noticeably puffy.
6. Preheat the oven.
Preheat your oven to 350°F.
7. Add the optional egg wash.
Lightly brush the exposed dough with beaten egg for a golden, shiny finish.
8. Bake.
Bake for approximately 25–35 minutes, or until golden brown and cooked through.
Larger or deeper pans, especially Bundt pans, may need additional baking time. The center should be fully baked, not doughy. For a more reliable check, the bread portion should reach approximately 190°F internally.
If the top browns too quickly, loosely cover it with aluminum foil while the center finishes baking.
9. Serve warm!
Allow the bread to cool for a few minutes before serving.
Then pull it apart and enjoy all that warm, buttery, cheesy garlic goodness!
Kayla's Kitchen Notes
Loaf or monkey style? I've made this bread both ways, and both turn out delicious. The loaf is great for pulling apart in layers, while the monkey-bread version makes it easy for everyone to grab a piece.
The cheese combination matters. I use three different cheeses for a reason. Cheddar gives it flavor, Parmesan brings the saltiness, and mozzarella makes it wonderfully gooey.
Black garlic: This is my newer addition to a recipe I've been making for years. I originally used minced garlic, but it was a little too sharp for some of my clients. Black garlic gives the filling a much mellower, richer flavor.
Serve it warm. This bread is at its best fresh from the oven, when the butter is melted and the cheese is still gooey.
Make it your own. You can adjust the cheeses or seasonings to your liking. That's part of the fun of cooking!
From My Kitchen to Yours
One thing I've learned over the years is that you don't have to make everything exactly the same way every time.
This bread is a perfect example of that.
What started as a cheesy garlic bread made with traditional minced garlic has evolved into something a little different. And it wasn't just about experimenting with ingredients. It was about finding a way to make something I loved more enjoyable for the people I was cooking for.
Sometimes a recipe changes because our tastes change. Sometimes it's because we're learning new techniques or discovering new ingredients. And sometimes it's because we're cooking for someone whose preferences are different from our own.
That's part of what makes cooking so special to me.
A recipe doesn't have to stay exactly the same to hold the same meaning.
Thanksgiving Is What You Make It
Whether your Thanksgiving table has turkey, ham, steak, shrimp, or something completely different, I hope you get to enjoy a meal that means something to you.
Maybe your family has a recipe that's been passed down for generations. Maybe there's a dish someone insists on bringing every year. Or maybe, like my dad, there's a can of cranberry sauce that absolutely has to make an appearance.
Traditions don't have to make sense to anyone outside your family.
They just have to mean something to you.
And if you're spending Thanksgiving cooking for someone else, whether that's family, a friend, a neighbor, or a client, remember that sometimes the smallest things make the biggest difference.
It might be preparing their favorite side dish, remembering how they like their potatoes, or making sure that one special food they've always loved is sitting on the table.
Food has a way of bringing back memories, creating new ones, and reminding us of the people who matter.
So whether you're making an elaborate Thanksgiving feast or keeping things simple this year, I hope your table is filled with good food, laughter, and a few traditions that are uniquely yours.
From my kitchen to yours, Happy Thanksgiving!
With love,
Kayla
Kayla Cares LLC — Compassionate Care, One Home at a Time.
