Chop Suey

From Leslee: Every New Year’s Eve I make chop suey because Grandma Lillis always made chop suey on New Year’s Eve. She did it because her mother did it. Family tradition lives on.

She also made it other times of the year. In fact, chop suey was the last family meal she ever made. Grandpa helped her chop up the ingredients, and they put it all together on a Sunday night. Paul and the girls and I were going to eat it with them Monday night.

But Grandma wasn’t feeling well and ended up in the hospital on Monday. I visited her and wanted to stay with her during her dinner, but she insisted I go to Grandpa’s and eat the chop suey, which I did, and it was wonderful. I took leftover chop suey home in a Cool Whip container.

Grandma died the next day.

Six years later, I still have the Cool Whip container in the corner of my freezer. Someday, I know I will have to toss it out, but I will still make her recipe every New Year’s Eve, and remember what a good cook, and a good Mom, we were lucky to have.

3 pounds beef stew meat, with 1 pound pork, cut in cubes

Brown meat in a big stew pot over high heat, liquid will bubble out of it. Cook off all juices. Then cover meat with water, and cook all liquid off again.

Add enough beef broth to cover meat, about a half-pot of liquid. Add several tablespoons of soy sauce and a 1/2 bottle of molasses.

Add one large, chopped onion and 1 cup chopped celery, fresh mushrooms. Bring to a boil, cook five minutes. Add one can water chestnuts, 1 can bean sprouts, drained.

Bring to boil, boil five minutes. Turn off heat. Thicken with a mixture of 1/2 cup cornstarch dissolved in 1 cup water. Then bring to boil again. This is best made a day ahead, refrigerated overnight and reheated. Serve over rice and top with crispy noodles.