Split Pea Soup

Leftover ham bone	1/2 lb. diced carrots	3 stalks diced celery
1 lb split peas	1 large diced onions	any leftover ham cubes
5 whole peppercorns	4 allspice	2-3 bay leaves

In your large (8-10qt) stock pot, boil 8 C. water, your ham chunks, diced onion, bay leaves, allspice, and whole peppercorns.  Let your soup base boil for at least 2 hours until it smells of ham, and the meat has fallen off the bone.  Let it cool, then fish out the bones, bay leaves and peppercorns (biting into these is just awful).  If you have more ham, add some cubes now along with chopped carrots, diced celery, and bag of split peas (I always use half a bag of yellow, and half a bag of green, but it doesn't make it taste different, just gives better color).  At this point, you just have to simmer the soup until the peas fall apart and become a thick soup. Stir it now and then to help it along.  This will probably take another 1.5-2 hours. Add more water if it gets to thick, and let it simmer longer if you want it to get thicker.