Goulash (American Goulash)

 Have you ever had American Goulash? Growing up I thought it was something my mother threw together, using anything and everything she could find and cooking it in one pot as a meal. My sister, to this day, can't stand it but I still really enjoy it. Granted, my mother isn't a great cook, so her variation was probably something that was barely palatable, but I still have fond memories of it.
   I made my own version for my kids tonight and they wouldn't stop with the compliments. It was amazing! My 7 year old has recently decided that she's going to be a picky eater. If it was up to her we would eat macaroni and cheese at every meal. Of course, I'm not going to give into her demands, but I do let her help my in the kitchen so she can feel better about the food that we're having. She feels a little ownership over the meal and that works wonders if you have a picky eater!
  We enjoy our goulash with corn and olives, but those are purely optional. I was trying to get meal done quickly (because we came home from church and the kids were ravenous - which seems to be the case every Sunday), so sadly there are no step by step pictures. The method is really simple, though so you shouldn't have problems following the directions. If you have any questions, please let me know!

Here's the recipe:

American Goulash

1 Tbsp butter or oil
1 to 1 1/4 pound ground turkey

1 small onion, diced
1 (15-ounce) can tomato sauce 

1 (15-ounce) can diced tomatoes (I used diced tomatoes with onion, celery and green pepper)

*1 can of water

1 large clove garlic, minced (a little more than 1 tsp)

1 Tbsp Italian seasoning

1 bay leaf
few dashes of Worcestershire Sauce
1 tsp seasoned salt 

the corn kernels from 2 cobs (or 1 (11 to 15 oz) can of corn kernels) (optional)

1/2 (6 oz) can of sliced black olives (optional)

1 cup dried elbow macaroni
salt and pepper to taste

In a heavy pot with a lid, add the butter (or oil) and the turkey. Lightly salt the turkey and cook it over medium heat until brown- breaking it up into small pieces as it cooks. Add the onion and garlic and cook 1 minute more. Add the tomato sauce, diced tomatoes and water (*fill the tomato sauce can with water and add that), Italian seasoning, bay leaf, Worcestershire, seasoned salt, and a few grinds of freshly ground black pepper (to taste). Stir in the corn and olives (if using). Bring the mixture to a boil and then stir in the macaroni. When the mixture returns to a boil, put the lid on, turn the heat down to low and simmer for 20 minutes. After the 20 minutes, turn the heat off, remove the lid and let sit for 5-10 minutes to thicken. Serve warm.