We all watched the Disney classic “The Jungle Book” growing up, and sang the song “bare necessities” without ever realizing what we were even singing. Looking back at this great animated film and listening to the treasured soundtrack, I am excited for the Diamond Edition release of the film February 11th! For the first time ever on Blu-ray with glorious digital high definition, Disney’s Jumpin’ Jungle Classic has never looked so lush or sounded so good! Making it a must-have for the family classic collection!

I started to think about the #BareNecessities and wondered what my “bare necessities” are in the kitchen? Then I decided to give away a “Bare Necessities” Cooking Kit to coincide with the release of THE JUNGLE BOOK! One lucky winner will win all that is pictured below, along with a Diamond Edition of The Jungle Book! Enter for a chance to win below!

In just a couple more days the winter games will start in Sochi, Russia. I imagine if I was attending I would there in the middle of blistering cold weather mapping out where all the games would take place. I think maybe I would stumble into a small little restaurant on a side street somewhere hidden craving a traditional Russian dish, and there at the center table would be a team of athletes loading up on carbs.  Taking off the many layers of warm clothing, I would walk over to the Olympians to wish them luck on their events, and snoop at what they eat. Of course I envision that they would be eating beef stroganoff, a classic Russian dish packed with pasta and creamy beef and mushroom sauce….

But since Eastern Europe isn’t a hop, skip, and a jump away from Eastern Los Angeles, I guess I’ll have to settle for sunny weather, a homemade bowl of beef stroganoff and the comfort of watching the games from my television set. I’ll make it even more enjoyable for myself…. and get everything I need for this dish at Walmart…. my one stop shop.

Ingredients for beef stroganoff:

• 4 – tablespoons butter
• 1 – pound rib-eye steak (cut into thin strips)
• 1/2 -teaspoon Lawry’s
• 1/2 – teaspoon black pepper
• 1 – onion (sliced)
• 9 – mushrooms (sliced big)
• 1/4 – teaspoon ground mustard
• 3 – tablespoons flour
• 1 – can beef broth
• 1/2 – cup sour cream
• 2 – cups egg noodles (cooked according to package)

Directions:

1. Cut beef into thin slices. Season with Lawry’s and pepper. 
2. In a large frying pan over a medium flame melt 2 tablespoons of butter.
3. Add the meat to the butter pan. Cook on both side till browned. 
4. Add in onion. Mix to combine. Cook for 8 minutes or until on onions soften. 
5. Add in mushrooms. Mix to combine. Cook for 5 minutes just to brown the mushrooms a bit. 
6. Add in 2 more tablespoons of butter and mix until melted.
7. Add in ground  mustard and flour. Mix to combine, and all flour is absorbed.
8. Add in beef broth and bring to a boil. Then once it starts to boil, lower flame to a simmer and cook for 45 minutes to an hour.  
9. Add in sour cream and mix to combine. Really stir in the sour cream.   
10. Pour sauce over cooked egg noodles. 
11. Enjoy!

I hold my love for Idaho Potatoes in a special place. I hold it there all year long and at certain times it needs to burst out of it’s cozy snuggly place in my heart and show it’s true colors. February is always a great time to let my potato affection reveal itself in the light of  Potato Lover’s Month.

I have a growing boy in my house who requests potatoes with every meal. I usually make a batch of baked potatoes at the head of the week and as we get into the middle of it I find other ways to enjoy them. One of my favorite is the mojo potato. It puts the spunk back into my step and makes me fall in love.

Watch the video below to see how to make mojo’s out of leftover baked Idaho Potatoes:

Ingredients for mojos:

• 3 to 4 – leftover baked Idaho Potatoes (cold)
• 1 – egg (whisked in a bowl)
• 1 – pouch fried chicken coating mix
• 1 – teaspoon Lawry’s
• 1 – teaspoon corn starch
• 1/2 – teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1/2 – teaspoon paprika
• 1/2 – teaspoon garlic powder
• vegetable oil

Disclosure: This post is sponsored by The Idaho Potato Commission. The recipe and all opinions are 100% my own. 

Thank you to my crew of two for this shoot! Mando Lopez and Tony Molina you guys ROCK!!!!!