Matty's Mom's Goulash

Ingredients:

1 lb. ground beef

1 med. red or yellow onion

1 stalk celery

½ bell pepper

2 tbls. olive oil

1 16 oz. can of diced tomatoes or tomato sauce

½ - ¾ cup chicken broth

½ stick butter

½ c. sweet corn

1 can 12-16 oz kidney beans w liquid

salt and pepper to taste

1/8 tsp. dried basil leaves

½ tsp. marjoram

2 tsp. paprika

½ -3/4 up shredded cheddar cheese

1 bag egg noodles, cooked

Directions:

- Dice onion, pepper, and celery and sauté for 5 minutes in deep saucepan in olive oil.

- Add ground beef, break up and cook.

- Add corn, kidney beans, tomatoes or tomato sauce, and butter.

- Add chicken broth and all spices and stir.

- Turn down heat to low and put on a lid.

- Cook for 15-20 minutes, stirring every 5 minutes or so.

- Cook until chicken broth has evaporated.

- Serve over egg noodles with shredded cheese on top.

- Enjoy!

The Matty Experience - 04/27/2010

Today I was watching the movie "Julie & Julia". In the movie one of the main characters, Julie, decides to make all the recipe's out of Julia Child's cook book in one year and she blogs about it. I really liked the movie, it was cute... and it got me thinking about my own blog. I love posting recipes and talking about movies, but I wanted to add something else that will help me in many ways. One, to force myself to have new experiences. Two, to write more because I have a fantasy book in mind that I would love to write and need the practice. Three, to allow me to get my thoughts and feelings about my experiences out into the open because I have a problem of bottling up feelings and it has started to hurt me.

My first Matty Experience is going to be a little boring as it is this, starting the Matty Experience. lol.
Yeah, I know, cheapness to the 10th degree. But, hey, we all gotta start somewhere right?

Along the same lines as my new experiences going under the label 'The Matty Experience', I will also be blogging about my past experiences and memories under the label 'The Pre-Matty Experience' and the first one should be up soon. So, keep your eyes open! ;p

If anyone has suggestions of Experiences I can have that you would like to read about then feel free to comment. ;p

Matty's Mom's Favorite Cheesecake Recipe

PHILADELPHIA NEW YORK CHEESECAKE

Crust:

1 ¼ cup graham cracker crumbs

¼ cup sugar

¼ cup butter, melted

1 tbsp. cinnamon

Cheesecake:

3 8oz. pkgs. Cream cheese, softened (do not skimp with cheap substitute)

4 eggs

1 cup sugar

To be added to top of cooked cheesecake:

1 cup sour cream

3 tbsp. sugar

1 tsp. vanilla

Blackberry topping: (or any fruit with coordinating jam)

1 small jar blackberry jam

½ pkg. fresh or frozen blackberries – thawed

Directions

Crust:

Preheat your oven to 300 degrees. Mix in bowl the crumbs, sugar, cinnamon and melted butter. Preferably using a spring form pan (but not absolutely necessary-a pie pan is okay) press crumb mixture evenly throughout bottom of pan.

Cheesecake:

In a large bowl, whip the cream cheese. Add eggs, one by one, whipping as you go. Gradually add sugar and whip after each addition. Pour over crust. Bake 10 minutes at 300 degrees and 50 minutes at 350 degrees. Mix sour cream, sugar and vanilla in small bowl. Pour over cooked cheesecake and bake for 10 more minutes.

Topping:

Remove from oven and refrigerate for 4-6 hours, preferably overnight. When ready to serve, empty small jar of blackberries into small bowl, add fresh thawed blackberries and nuke for 30-45 seconds. Spoon over each cheese cake slice.