Goulash recipe

A friend has helped me out and provided me with a copy of the recipe. I have done some researching to find an alternative to one of the key ingredients and I think I have come up with it, no promises. Also, if you do not like the red bell pepper and so much onion you can substitute them. I have made this a couple of times now and last time instead of the pepper I used mushrooms and still all of the onion, still very tasty. I recommend trying it at least once with the pepper.
Last week I realized that people were leaving comments on my blog, which I have found to be amusing and supportive. I love them all, thank you. I also received some emails full of support and advice. I was having one of those weeks where nothing seemed to be going right and was feeling pretty down in the dumps, but those emails and comments have shown your support for me. I really appreciate all of the love and support I have felt this past week, thank you.
Here is a picture of the Hokaido pumpkin for yesterday's recipe:

Here is the goulash recipe:
1 Knorr goulash mix*
1-2 lbs cubed beef, I have just been using stew beef
1 onion, diced
1 red bell pepper, diced
3 small bread & butter pickles, sliced into small pieces
2 Tbsp vegetable oil
1 tsp paprika
1 garlic glove
Pepper
Egg noodles or mashed potatoes to serve goulash over
*I am not sure if Knorr has a goulash packet available in the states so I did some research for some alternatives here is what I came up with:
1 Tbsp mixed dry herbs like rosemary, thyme & marjoram
2 beef bouillon cubes
2 Tbsp flour
Either one can of tomato sauce, one can of peeled tomatoes, or one can of tomato paste, I would think it would work better with either the peeled tomatoes or the paste, the tomato sauce just sounds like too much liquid to me.
Then 1-3 Cups of either water or dry red wine, you want just enough liquid to cover the beef, onion and pepper mixture

Preparation:
1. Heat oil in skillet. Add garlic, onion, red bell pepper, pickle and beef. You do not need to cook everything all the way through, just cook until the edges brown slightly. When almost done add paprika and black pepper.
2. Stir in goulash mix and water, here is where if the mix is unavailable use the alternative that I provided above.
3. Bring to a boil for one minute, cover, simmer for 60-90 minutes or until beef is tender.
4. When the goulash is almost done prepare the egg noodles or mashed potatoes.

Guten Appetit!