Awesome Split Pea & Ham Crockpot Soup

This is a fantastic recipe!  I love that this recipe tastes like great split pea soup and wasn't that thick pasty texture; its like a nice textured thicker soup.  I served these with Icebox Butterhorns.  Yum!  

I found the recipe here.  It is so delicious and would freeze well, but we didn't have any left over for long.

Ingredients:
-16 oz. dried green split peas
-2 cups diced ham
-3 carrots, peeled and sliced
-1 small onion, chopped
-2 celery ribs with leaves, chopped 
-2 cloves garlic, minced
-1 bay leaf
-1/4 cup fresh parsley or 2 tsp dried
-1 tbsp seasoned salt
-1/2 tsp pepper
-1 1/2 quarts hot water

Process:
1. Rinse dried peas and remove any debris {check for any rocks or sticks that got through the processing}, place in bottom of crockpot.

 2. Add diced ham on top of peas.

 3. Add sliced carrots on top of ham.

 4. Add chopped onion on carrots.

 5. Add chopped celery {Make sure you include the leaves too!  There is a ton of flavor in the leaves!}.

 6. Add the minced garlic.

 7. Next, add the bay leaf, fresh parsley, seasoned salt and pepper.

8. Pour in the 1 1/2 quarts hot water.  DO NOT STIR!!!

9. Cover and cook on high for 4 hours or on low for 8 hours.  Once again: DO NOT STIR!
10. Stir when cooking time is completed and enjoy!