Crockpot Split Pea Soup

Easy and cheap... this made a lot for us so I froze half of it for later. :)

2 16 oz bags of dried split peas
1 pkg of kielbasa sausage, diced (I usually buy the turkey stuff - cheap and healthy)
1 lg yellow onion, diced
2 cups of carrots, diced (I shredded in the mini-processor instead)
3 cloves of garlic, minced (also used the mini-processor here. Love that thing!)
Salt, pepper, and chicken bouillon to taste
8-9 cups of water

Wash peas in hot water and add all ingredients to the crockpot. The original recipe I splurged on called for 1 bag of peas and 6 cups of water, but 8-9 cups is all my big crockpot would hold - I ended up with a thick soup, which is how I like it anyway. You could always halve the recipe and use less water.

Cook on high for about 4 hours (I started stirring it after 3 hours to help peas mush up) until peas are mushy. Serve with cornbread. Some people like to drizzle olive oil on top... :)

I think I spent around $5...