The night before you want to make this hearty soup, place a 1 lb. bag of dried Split Peas in a kettle and soak in two quarts of water over night.  The next day, drain & rinse the peas and place them back in the kettle along with eight cups of fresh water.

Add The Following Ingredients:

1 - Medium Onion Chopped

3 - Carrots peeled and sliced

2 - Medium potatoes peeled and diced

1 - Meaty hambone or two smoked ham hocks

1 - tablespoon of dried parsley

1 - tablespoon of salt

1 - teaspoon of paprika

1/2 - teaspoon fresh ground pepper

Bring pot to a boil and then reduce heat to a simmer and cook 3-4 hours or until done. Hint: if you need to thicken soup, desolve a tablespoon of corn starch in a quarter cup of water and stir into soup. Serve with oyster crackers or croutons. Enjoy!!