Split Pea Soup

As a child, it seemed like every halloween, we were forced to eat split pea soup for dinner before going out to trick-or-treat. (Actually I think my mom fed it to us one year, and then we actually LIKED it, so we made it our own tradition- at least for a couple of years after that.)

I saw the bags of split peas were on sale at the grocery store, and in a fit of reminiscing, I bought a few. I went off a recipe in my Fix it and Forget it cookbook, although, I don't like following recipes much, so I altered it a smidge.

Split Pea Soup

2 Cups dry split peas (the bag was just a little over 2 cups, so I put the whole bag in)
8 Cups water (it seemed like too much, so I only used 6, but it is now getting really thick, so I added a little more water, so 8 is probably not too much after all)
2 Tbsp chicken bullion (or 2 cubes) (with only 6 cups of water, it tasted too salty to me, which is another reason why I added more water back in, next time I might only use 1 tbsp, but I like less salt than normal- according to my mister.)
1 small onion, chopped
1 tsp cumin powder
a handful of bacon pieces (I was going to use the rest of the ham bits that I had cut up and frozen from the ham we bought last year, but I apparently have used it all, so I used some of the real-bacon-bits things that I keep in the freezer (I bought the bag at costco). You could also use bits of real bacon if you happen to have leftovers, or you could leave the meat out, but it sure tastes good in.

Combine all ingredients in crock pot. Cook on low for 8 hours, or high if you start it late and don't have 8 hours until dinner. If it looks done before dinner, turn it to low. (You have to love crock pots.)

Serve with crusty bread and butter if you plan ahead that well. Otherwise serve it with whatever you have available.

Post Dinner Update: J and A thought I was poisoning them. We heard over and over how awful this dinner was. They will probably be extra hungry in the morning. Surprisingly, CP LOVED it, and ate it like it was one of the two foods he loves: cereal or chocolate. My Mister said it was a do-over (but in light of the reaction our oldest two kids had to it, maybe not a frequent do-over).