Original subtitles

Kardea: When you're born in the south there,

they're two things you're gonna learn --

southern hospitality and good eating.

While my home is in edisto,

lately I've been spending time at home with my mom in atlanta.

Are you ready to eat? -Yes, we are.

Kardea: But no matter where I am,

I still enjoy feeding the ones I love the most.

I seriously cannot wait.

I'm kardea, but when I'm in the kitchen,

everyone calls me miss brown.

♪

hey, y'all, so I know this kitchen looks very different.

Oh, ma, you're supposed be cutting the strawberries.

I'm with my lovely mother in her lovely house.

Like everyone else, we're basically cooking

everything in the house.

Breakfast, lunch and dinner, okay?

So what I want to do today

is make our favorite breakfast, lunch and dinner meals.

Okay, let me take that from you.

It's cousin ashley! Hi!

It's been years since ashley and I spent this much time together,

so it's been really great reconnecting with her.

So I've been cooking for these two lovely ladies.

I am making french toast that I made

for my mom the other day for mother's day.

She loved it. Pat: Because the bread is thicker,

it's just, "oh!"

for lunch, it's my famous fish fillet sandwich.

Out of all my insta-famous recipes,

this one got the craziest response.

And for dinner, it's lowcountry shrimp kabobs

and barbecue baked beans.

Me and my mom went to go visit my best friend.

She and her husband own a farm in fayetteville, georgia.

And it's so cute. She has chickens.

And we also picked up some eggs while we were there.

So, nicole, I'm using your eggs!

Farm-fresh eggs from kimble's farm.

[ chuckles ]

2 eggs in there.

You know, it's not only because I use the big sliced bread

that it was nice and fluffy.

It's because I make a batter.

Oh, okay.

I've added 2 eggs, about a cup of milk,

a pinch of cinnamon, pinch of salt.

A tablespoon white sugar.

Flour -- 1/4 cup.

What do you use flour? What does that do?

It will make bread kind of fluffy. Mm-hmm.

But it will also ensure that it stays crispy

when I fry it in the pan.

Oh, okay. Okay. Uh-huh.

Vanilla extract, and only use like a capful of that.

Mm-hmm. Almond extract.

Mm-hmm. I like surprising people.

When you bite into the french toast,

you're not expecting to taste an almond flavor.

"what? What is that? That's something different."

can you dig it? I can dig that. I can get dig that.

Boom. Yeah.

Just going to mix this up.

Ashley: So, cousin pat, how has it been hanging out with kardea

for like a month and a decade? [ laughter ]

you know what?

I've enjoyed the company, and I'm eating good.

Let's just say you missed me.

Yeah, kinda sorta, just a teeny bit. You missed me.

Can you get me some butter, mother?

-Butter. There you are. -Thank you.

Spread the butter around. Then it'll melt.

This is my recipe.

I know, but if you move the butter around...

All I have to do is this. There you go!

Exactly. Oh!

Look, mommy is teaching me.

Yeah.

The middle always gets hotter first.

Whoa, what you say, girl? What you say?

Spread that butter around. Let's go.

Ashley, have you ever had kardea's french toast before?

Ashley: No. She never cooked breakfast for me before.

But I have had lunch.

Yeah. Yeah. Several times. I know that much.

Oh, yeah.

[ sizzling ]

ooh, these are looking really pretty!

Okay.

We're really not, you know, like cooking

to a certain temperature or anything like that.

It's french toast.

Only thing that you want is a nice golden-brown color.

Can you slice some peaches?

Slice? Thinly slice.

Okay, sure. Thank you.

Not only are we using berries for the fruit topping,

we're also going to use some peaches

because they're in season right now in georgia.

Alrighty. That looks great.

I'm just going to plate it right here.

What is it like to have kardea in your kitchen taking over?

Ooh, it's hard.

Most of the days I just sit back and don't go in there

till she's done.

Because for me, I clean as I go.

So my best thing is to stay out until she says dinner's ready.

[ laughter ]

my mom is making a morning mocktail.

So, it's like our spin

on a mimosa.

Frozen strawberries and orange juice,

and I'm gonna blend those.

♪

then I'm just going to top it with the apple cider.

Oh, wow, look at that, guys. Look at that.

-Is your stomach growling yet? -It really is.

I didn't want you to hear it.

[ laughter ]

I hope you're not recording this.

-We are. -Oh! Oh! I can't get that.

[ indistinct talking ]

-give me this. -Okay, you do it.

I mean, what -- what's wrong with your opener?

We're gonna get this, guys.

-Whoo! -Yeah.

You about as bad as your grandmother

uses a knife to open up cans. -So just top that off.

-Oh, yeah. -The colors.

♪

kardea: Dust it with some powdered sugar.

Oh, that is gorgeous!

And the maple sirup.

Let's get some oohs and some ahhs.

-Whoo! -Ahh!

♪

I'm learning how to work the cameras.

Oh, how cute is that?

Zoom in, pat.

Whoo!

Are you ready to eat?

-Yes, we are. -[ laughs ] alright.

I feel so bad, ashley. You're holding the camera.

[ laughs ] and you're just getting

a whiff of that french toast.

We are going to devour this.

♪

mmm!

That is so good. Mmm. And the fruits just kick it right off.

Taste more like a donut. -Mm-hmm.

It really does.

Oh, this is good.

What does it remind you of? -Sherbet.

Sherbet. -Mm-hmm.

Ashley: When do I get to eat?

-Oh, now. -Come on. Come on.

Hey!

How is it, ashley?

She just put it in her mouth.

Oh, she's already closing her eyes.

[ laughter ]

kardea, you have to cook breakfast for me every day.

[ laughter ]

I need a nap after this. -You do.

We'll take a quick nap, and we'll be back.

Kardea: Coming up, the sandwich that broke my social media feed.

This fish fillet sandwich will make them forget that drive thru

is even a thing.

-Isn't it good, girl? -Oh, my god.

Kardea: And for dinner, I'm grilling up some lowcountry classics

with my own little twist, of course.

Ashley: Look at this. Oh, my goodness.

Kardea: I've been staying at home in atlanta with my mom

for the past few months,

and today we're stacking our favorite blds --

breakfast, lunch and dinner recipes.

We're gonna eat lunch now,

and I had a hankering for some fast food.

Now, I've had my fair share of recipes go viral,

but none of them have blown up

quite like my fish fillet sandwich.

Do you remember what happened when I put that picture

of my sandwiches on instagram? -It went viral.

It went crazy. It went crazy!

Everybody wanted it. Like...

I remember growing up it was a treat.

Because we didn't eat fast foods like that.

But when you passed it, you'd be like, "mommy! Mommy!"

yeah. Okay, so I'm having a "mommy, mommy!" moment

and I want my fish sandwich, so I'm gonna make it here.

I have some flour. Put some panko in here.

These are plain, because I am going

to add cajun seafood seasoning,

about two pinches, three.

[ laughs ]

so it will be very flavorful and very crunchy.

Okay. 2 eggs in this. Are you watching, ma?

-Yeah. I'm watching. -Okay.

Now you understand when I say,

"what do you taste in it?"

because now you're able to think about it and make it.

-Absolutely. -Yeah.

It comes in handy when you don't want to leave the house.

Exactly. And you go, "what is in that?"

-okay. -Yeah.

Crack some pepper. A few pinches.

Just put some salt in there too.

So I'm gonna mix this up.

Ma, can you make sure that oil is hot?

Sure. I'm gonna do it the old-fashioned way.

This is how you can tell if it's hot.

[ sizzling ]

you can have that? That means it's hot.

[ laughs ]

now we're going.

So, I'm using halibut steaks.

I like halibut because they are nice and thick.

Kind of resembles that fish sandwich

that you normally get from that certain place.

As long as it's a pretty, you know, flaky white fish,

that'll work.

Squeeze some lemon juice.

The lemon helps it firm up so that'll stay together.

Now I'm coating it in flour because it helps the egg

and milk mixture adhere to the fish.

-Sure. -Roll it around

in your egg and milk mixture

and then take it over here to the final step

before frying, panko.

Now, if you have skin on the back of your fish, that's okay.

I like skin on my fish.

You know, a lot of benefits of the fish is in the skin.

-Yes. -So I keep the skin on,

but you can definitely take the skin off.

Okay, and do the same process.

Keep one hand clean, the other hand messy.

With the clean hand, you're actually going to drop.

They go. Mm-hmm.

She taught me.

So, ma, can you start the tartar sauce,

and just mayo, diced onions, which are already diced.

I'm the one who taught you how to make it. [ laughs ]

oh, well. Excuse me.

She forgets all the time, cuz.

-So this is like your recipe? -Yeah, one I came up with.

Now I put in mayo, dill relish, capers, a little pinch of sugar,

some dill, onions,

lemon juice and a little salt and pepper and that's it.

So all of the filets have been evenly coated

with the seasoned panko.

Just going to drop the steak right in there.

We'll see. Nice and hot. [ sizzling ]

it's singing to you. It's talking to you.

You can deep fry it. You can shallow fry it.

But if you shallow fry, you're gonna have to flip.

But this, I have added enough oil

in this pot so I don't have to flip it.

Just when it turns golden-brown, I'll take it out.

Fish doesn't take normally long. No.

Probably at the max four to five minutes.

Music it to my ears. Well, my stomach.

[ laughter ] all of that.

-Hey, ma. -This is so much fun.

Cooking with my girls! -There you go. That's the color.

-Oh, my. -Oh,that's pretty.

♪

this is mine.

[ indistinct conversation ]

I like a good potato bun,

because potato buns are really soft.

You can toast your buns in the oven,

but I have a really big problem with forgetting

that I have buns in the oven or the toaster oven,

so I'll just do it on top of the stove so I can watch it.

Look at that one. Oh, yes.

Pat: And she called dibs on it.

Oh, yes.

I seriously cannot wait for this.

[ laughter ]

this is my moment.

Kardea: Ooh, that's what I wanted.

While it's hot, american cheese.

That's what they use at the restaurants,

so that's what I want to use here.

Fish on top.

Remember, we used to always ask for extra tartar sauce.

I love tartar sauce. Drown my sandwich in tartar sauce.

Pat: Yes, yes, yes, yes.

-And what do we have here? -We got a fish sandwich.

♪

oh, my goodness!

-Oh, my god. -Isn't that good?

It is so moist. The fish is not dry at all.

The tartar sauce is really taking it up another notch.

You can really taste that dill in that tartar sauce.

This is excellent.

-I'm really hurting right now. -[ laughs ]

let me hold the camera and you go get your sandwich real quick.

Run, run, run, run, run, run, run!

-Oh, my god. -Isn't that good?

Now I want to see your reaction.

♪

[ laughter ]

whoo, look at the tartar sauce!

Isn't it good, girl? -Oh, my god.

Kardea: This sandwich really hit the spot.

Definitely satisfied my fast-food craving.

Next up, we've got a lowcountry dinner

on the grill with shrimp kabobs and barbecue baked beans.

And, mom. Well, mom's taking a nap.

Ashley: Are you still taking your beauty nap?

She made that salad super fast to take a nap.

♪

kardea: I'm in atlanta with my ma,

and today I'm making the meals that get us through the day.

So far we've had breakfast, lunch, and now

I'm on the grill making dinner while ma's in the kitchen

whipping up a tangy side salad.

-What's for dinner? -Okay.

So I am making -- remember

those grill beans that I made a couple weeks ago?

-Oh, yeah. -Okay, so I'm gonna

make those again and I'm gonna make some --

you know how we eat like, okra stew with shrimp?

-Yeah. -So instead of doing

the okra stew 'cause it's pretty hot out here,

I decided to take that and make it into a kabob.

Shrimp, tomatoes, okra and sausage.

-Let's do this. -Okay. My cast iron skillet

is extremely hot. -And it's hot outside.

I'm burning up, honey. Burning up.

We are in "hotlanta."

so I've got my green bell pepper, 1 onion

and I have got 2 cloves of garlic.

[ sizzling ] whoo, sizzle, sizzle.

These beans, I had them a couple weeks ago,

and they were amazing.

Cooking this down until the onions get somewhat translucent

and the bell pepper get a little soft.

Alright, ashley, you can go inside

and cool down and check on mom

to see how that salad is coming along.

Ashley: Yeah. I'm really excited about it. I'll be right back.

-Okay. -What are you making?

I'm going to make a citrus crunch salad.

Vinegar, some dijon mustard.

It doesn't take long to make,

and it's just a salad dressing that you can make at home

and then just toss it.

Then when I'm going to do it, do a coleslaw mix with it

and some kale.

Kardea's going to peek over my shoulder to make sure

that I know what I'm doing. -I just came in

to get my ingredients and I'm gonna leave.

-Kardea, this is her kitchen. -She forgets.

She keeps beginning. And some olive oil.

I'm going to just whisk this in now.

Whisk the vinegar and the dijon first?

-Yeah. -Remember what I taught you?

It's emulsifying, because normally

oil and vinegar don't get along. Come on. Come on.

-Emulsify. -Emulsify.

Say it with me, "emulsify."

I'm going to slowlyemulsify the olive oil in the vinegar

and the dijon mustard.

Add some honey to it and a little bit of orange juice

just to give it that twang that I'm looking for.

That should be good. -This is like a good

spring/summer salad. -It is.

It's very light. It's very light.

You know, because of what she's making on the grill,

this is perfect.

Kale in here. Bag of slaw mix.

Toss in my oranges. Add the almonds in there.

-You smile when you cook a lot? -Oh, yeah.

I'd rather we be dancing, actually, to tell you the truth.

-Really? -But I don't have

no music today.

But, yeah, you put on your favorite song.

Oh, your dish coming out so much better.

The crispy onions I'm gonna add in here.

Ashley: What is your favorite go-to song?

Oh, I could put on a maxwell cd.

-Oh, so you like some slow jams. -Ooh!

Yes. -Neo soul vibes.

Yeah, 'cause, you know, my girlfriend used to say

when she used to come to the house

if she heard music going on a Sunday,

she knew something was cooking up in there.

Look, ashley, you got your salad.

-Yes. -Isn't that pretty?

Ashley: I'm super excited about this salad,

but I have to go out there and check on kardea.

Kardea: I'm ready to put these beans in.

Ashley: Wait, don't do the beans without me.

Got some tomato sauce.

So I'm basically making my own barbecue sauce.

Ketchup. I'm going to add some yellow mustard.

I like the tang.

And what is a southern barbecue sauce without sugar?

-Oh, yeah. -We use about a cup

of brown sugar.

-Really good, kardea. -It smells really good.

-It does. -Some salt.

-Look at that technique! -Okay.

Did you see the wrist work?

[ laughs ]

freshly cracked black pepper.

Now what is beans without beans?

I like to use a combination of white beans

and I'm also using dark red kidney beans

so you get that variation of color.

Mix that up in there. See, look at it.

You see? You see?

It smells so sweet and savory. Super excited about this.

A few pinches of chili powder kind of balances

out that sweetness you get from the brown sugar,

smoked paprika in there, a pinch of cayenne pepper.

It's so pretty. I want that to come to a nice rolling boil.

That's going to help caramelize

some of that brown sugar in there

and make it nice and ooey and gooey.

Mmm! -Wait!

Don't eat it without me. What are you doing?

A good chef always taste their food as they go.

You know, I got to make sure it's good for y'all.

Next, we finish up dinner and another day at home

when those beautiful, lowcountry kabobs hit the grill.

Pat: Listen to it. Music to my ears.

Sizzle, sizzle, sizzle.

Kardea: I'm here in atlanta at ma's house,

and we're about to get down to dinner.

My beans are bubbling, ma whipped up a tangy side salad,

and now it's time to get to my shrimp kabobs on the grill.

These are inspired by a lowcountry classic, okra stew.

It's a little bit too hot for stew today,

so I'm deconstructing it and turning them into kabobs.

-Oh, we're doing okra? -We're doing okra.

-Oh, my gosh. -I thought about you.

I'm a big fan of okra.

I don't know if anybody else is out there.

Where my okra girls at? My okra guys?

And for those who don't like the slickness of okra,

lemon juice, acidity

nearly cuts all of that in half. So don't worry about it.

And we're grilling it, so it's not going to be as bad.

I've already cleaned and deveined my shrimp right here.

Ashley: It's so hot out here it could be cooking on its own.

It could be cooking right now. Okay.

Little salt and pepper to the shrimp.

Just pushed that down like that.

The okra.

When you put okra on the grill, it doesn't get soft.

It stays nice and crunchy.

The smoked sausage next.

Now, don't worry about the tomato cooking faster.

All of this is going to cook fairly fast, okay?

♪

this is like all of my favorites in one.

I really feel like you made this for me, kardea.

I did. [ chuckles ]

-whoo! -Whoo.

-Want to see those beans? -Look at that.

-Mm-hmm. -Look at the sizzle.

That's what I wanted.

Close that back up.

-Your mom finished their salad. -Oh. So what is she doing?

She said she was just taking her beauty nap.

Okay. [ laughs ]

sounds just like her.

Let me go wake her up.

Are you still taking your beauty nap?

She made that salad super fast

to take a nap.

-It's hot out there. -I know.

-The skewers are all built. -Oh, those are pretty.

-They're gorgeous. -Let's put these on the grill.

I've already oiled my grate. Place that down just like that.

-Those are very pretty, kardea. -Thank you.

Look at this. Oh, my goodness.

I also made a nice little butter sauce.

It's one stick of butter melted with some

cajun seafood seasoning, some salt, pepper and garlic

and lemon juice. -Amazing!

-How does it smell? -Oh, my god.

It smells great. All for me?

-All for you. -No, they're not all for her!

-No, they're not. -So how long

do the skewers have to stay in?

Not long at all. Like maybe 3, 4 minutes.

-Get into it. Get into it. -Get into this!

All those years when I cooked,

all those years is now paying off.

Look at that, while you're over there in the shade.

-More butter? -More butter, honey.

-Ooh! -More butter.

[ sizzling ] listen to it. Music to my ears.

Sizzle, sizzle, sizzle!

That's it.

-And we're done? -And we're done.

Please don't get about these beans.

Little color on top of that as well.

That's it.

-Wow. -That's it.

♪

-mmm! These beans! -[ chuckles ]

-it's so good, kardea. -The salad!

-It's good, isn't it? -Oh, my goodness.

It's citrus-y, it's sweet.

Look at my plate.

-All on one, get in to it. -Mmm. Mmm!

-♪ hallelujah ♪ -yes.

-Opened the flood gates. -Isn't that good?

[ laughter ]

you worked so hard at being our camera woman today.

And the okra is just, like, so good and crispy.

It's not, like, you know, real slick-like.

Love you, ashley! Love you, mommy!

-Love you! -Love you, too!

-Mwah! -Mwah! Mwah! Mwah!