Split Pea Soup

My friend Cathy makes the BEST split pea soup and she shared her recipe with me and I make it often during the cold winter months. I thought that maybe you'd like to try it to:

Cathy's Split Pea Soup

2 quarts water

1 smoked ham bone with 1 or 2 cups ham

1 pound split peas, well rinsed

1 c. diced onion

1 c. sliced carrots

1 c. sliced celery

2 bay leafs

6 whole allspice

1/4 tsp pepper

1/2 tsp salt

Rinse peas and add to water along with the ham bone and heat for 1 hour on low heat. Add all spices along with the onions, carrots and celery. Simmer for another hour until peas have cooked apart. Serve or cool and store in refrigerator.