Kandi Burruss And The Old Lady Gang On Hallmark’s Home & Family

Last night, as I was engaging in my favorite Holiday Tradition of watching excessive amounts of Christmas movies on the Hallmark Channels, I happened to see Kandi Burruss and the Old Lady Gang on a commercial for a morning talk show on Hallmark called Home & Family.  On the last episode of Real Housewives of Atlanta,  we saw Kandi finally tell Phaedra to stop pretending like she (and everyone else) doesn’t know what is really going on with her.  Much to my amazement, there was a sudden influx of Phaedra fans acting as if Kandi had spilled Phaedra’s deepest secrets on Twitter and to some degree on this site. All Kandi said was that Phaedra could drop her “poor me, my husband is in jail and I am now a devoted single mother” bullshit around her because she knows better.  This is not news, Apollo himself gave Phaedra a pinata full of condoms for her birthday shortly after her second son was born on an all cast RHOA trip.  Then he also let us know about Mr. Chocolate which was a storyline. This is not shocking new information from Kandi that she only knew about through her former friendship with Phaedra.  Yet one commenter said that Kandi talks about Phaedra all the time because she has nothing else going on.

Kandi has so much going on that I have considered dropping her and Todd from my Instagram feed. She has her stores on the east and the west cost, her adult toy line, her music management company, her new line of all things baby that she has branded for Ace, and the restaurant she is opening up for her mother and her aunts. And those are just things on her front burners. Not to mention the full time gig on RHOA.

That is why we see Kandi and the OLG on this Hallmark store discussing their restaurant. Y’all can rag on Kandi all you want, but not hustling for a dollar is not a credible insult. There is not a dollar laying out there she is not going to pick up.

The Old Lady Gang looks amazing, as does Kandi, but Aunt Bertha is cracking me up rocking side to side like she has to pee and a mug that says she would rather be anywhere but there. Mama Joyce has never met a camera she didn’t like and Aunt Nora seems thrilled to be there.  The mood turns light as the host asks Kandi if she has a favorite gang member. Kandi said that they all three raised her together and they all taught her how to cook, so that is why she thought the restaurant should be named for them. Aunt Bertha laughs and lightens up a bit.  Kandi says they will be making her Kickin’ Chicken wings and Aunt Bertha’s greens.

I’m hungry. Side note for Top Chef Fans: I made Tomato Pie last night. It came out decent, but it’s not something I would make for company.

Kandi is asked what it’s like raising an infant after a thirteen year break. She said it’s like being a new mom again. She has forgotten all the basics. She had to relearn how to properly swaddle the baby but it all comes back once you get in the swing of things. They talk about what a hands on dad Todd is.  They don’t mention it but Todd was not around for all the infant stages of his first daughter so this is all brand new to him.  Kandi mentions Todd’s Instagram which is full of Daddy Daycare photos of him taking care of the baby while Kandi is off promoting her various projects including RHOA. They show a clip from RHOA where Todd has devised a bottle holding device for Ace that appears to be a U-Shaped pillow that allows the bottle to rest on it so he doesn’t have to hold the bottle.  Kandi mentions Raising Ace, her baby product brand.  The OLG let it be know that Kandi is a great mom. Mama Joyce does say that Kandi works too much.

They ask Kandi about any “mommy mishaps” that she has experienced with Ace. Kandi talks about trying to get out of the house with the baby and how she thought she had it all together.  She gets halfway down her street and realizes that she had everything with her, except Ace. She panicked and turned back around and Ace was still asleep in the bed.

Mama Joyce told a story about going to work and leaving Kandi at home alone when she was four or five. She said her mother called her at work to ask where Kandi was. Mama Joyce realized she forgot to drop her off and called Kandi who was at home making herself cereal.

Nora tells a story about how Mama Joyce used to babysit her kid. She said every single time she came home from work, her kid had a knot on her head from some sort of accident. Mama Joyce said it was not her fault. She said Aunt Nora’s boy just used to fall a lot. She tells a story about sitting with the boy by the pool and seeing him start to fall so she stuck her foot out to try to catch him. Everyone is cracking up with these stories.

It’s time to cook.  You can click here for the recipes. 

Kandi’s secret ingredient is powdered ranch dressing mix on the chicken and as seasoning to the flour. They double dip the wings in flour and egg. Mama Joyce talks about Kandi being a kid who thought she knew more than everyone. Mama Joyce talks about the time when Kandi was two and she kept getting too close to the stove. Mama Joyce told her twice that the stove was hot and to stay away, and then she just let her find out the hard way.  Thank God there is a statute of limitations for CPS complaints. Mama Joyce points out that Kandi still doesn’t believe her when she tells her fire burns. Kandi says she has to learn things on her own. Mama Joyce doesn’t understand why she doesn’t just listen to her mama. This seems very contrived.

In the weirdest question during a cooking segment ever, the ladies are asked which of the four of them is the most honest. Dead silence. Followed by someone saying they all are. Aunt Bertha, who hasn’t said two words raises her hand. Mama Joyce says it’s Kandi. Aunt Nora disagrees, she might have been dissenting about Bertha. They have gone off script and it will be a long ride home.

Next, they ask who is the best cook. Aunt Bertha says they are all about the same. Host Debbie Matenopoulos says that is not what she said before the show. Debbie says Aunt Bertha told her she makes the best collards in all the town. Bertha denies saying this. At least the “in all the town” part. And then we watch her make collards with turkey instead of pork. Bless her heart. The look fantastic though.

Aunt Bertha says you have to wash them seven times. Nope. My mama said you have to wash them in “eleven waters.”  I do not do this. I usually just buy the prewashed and cut stuff in a bag. Mama is dead and will never know.  This seven or eleven washing comes from when women would go out into the field and pick them and then bring them in to cook. Greens fresh from the field are very gritty.  Aunt Bertha redeems herself by saying you can use ham hocks instead of turkey. Aunt Bertha’s secret ingredient is her homemade pepper sauce. Aunt Bertha will give Kandi a bottle of the secret pepper sauce, but she will not tell her how she makes it.  Kandi modifies Aunt Bertha’s greens with a splash of chicken broth. An argument ensues about whose taste better and where the chicken broth is a good idea or not. In my opinion a little is fine. But I drink the pot liquor so let’s not mess with it too much.

They have a whole minute or so talking about the crazy faces that the whole family makes. It was pretty funny. Bertha’s primary face is her “serious” face.

Kandi and the OLG took up the entire first half an hour of the show. This is my first time watching the show and apparently it’s two hours.  I am currently mesmerized by light fixture makeover.  As I am prepping the post to go up, Kandi is back in the scene with the guy giving hair tips. Kandi is a fan of dry shampoo. Actually, it looks like Kandi will be hanging out for the whole two hours. There are a lot of panels of guests on this show that chime in on whatever the segment is apparently.  Still later, Kandi and the OLG take on Debbie’s family in a Family Feud game. Only no one knows how to play Family Feud. And no one except Aunt Bertha knows any answers. Then Kandi and the OLG are all back out there again talking about family dynamics, and meddling relatives, especially around the holidays.  Kandi tells a story about the first time she moved out of the house.  She and Mama Joyce bought a house across the street together and Kandi moved in with two roommates.  Mama Joyce would show up all the time, using her key, telling them to clean up and stop having boys over to the house. It drove them all crazy. The  roomies moved out after just three months.

So, are there any recipes in your family that cause a bit of an uproar at the holidays? At my house we would be sure that in-laws were not responsible for any of the important staples. Only certain people could make the dressing or the biscuits, or the proteins, or the green beans… etc.  Until recently, as we all are a bit further apart my sister, who is the best cook anyway, gets stuck making everything.

How is your Christmas meal planning going? I’m not sure if I am going to go this year. Christmas is a much bigger deal at my sisters with all sorts of people coming and going.  I usually go to Thanksgiving and either skip Christmas or go by during the day so I don’t have to drive home at night.  I’m probably going to roast a chicken today that will likely be chicken soup by Sunday. I also bought broccoli and cauliflower to make soup. I apparently like soup. A lot.