A Hungarian Goulash Variant

I've been slacking on posting here because I haven't been doing any grilling.  I still need to eat, however, and know other ways of cooking.  One of my favorite winter foods is Goulash, a beef stew.

The traditional goulash recipe I learned is as follows:

1. Chop 1 large onion, saute in 2 Tbsp oil
2. Season with 1 tsp paprika
3. Add 1 lb beef cubed, 1 green pepper diced, 1 tomato diced, and a little salt
4. Steam under a lid until tender
5. Add 1/4 pound carrots, 1/4 pound parsnip, 3/4 pound potato, and 5 cups water
6. Cover and simmer until tender
7. Add homemade egg noodles

Noodles are 1 beaten egg, a pinch of salt and approximately 1/4 pound flour

Some variations I'll use:

1. Add garlic and black pepper
2. Substitute 1/2 bag store bought egg noodles for homemade noodles
3. Substitute barley for noodles, about 1 cup
4. Add hot paprika or other hot pepper or hot sauce
5. Double the amount of carrots in lieu of using parsnip
6. Use some beef stock in place of some of the water
7. Any of the above but using a slow cooker.  I'll pre-cook the onion and brown the meat before adding those to the cooker

Today's exciting episode of Jim's failure to follow a recipe includes the following:

1. (Organic unsalted) Canned tomatoes
2. (Organic Pearled) Barley instead of noodles
3. Added garlic, oregano, and black pepper
4. Two New Mexico chiles plus one habanero in lieu of paprika, all seeded
5. Lightly browned meat in small batches, then deglazed pan and added to cooker
6. Double carrots instead of carrots and parsnip
7. Cooked in a slow cooker