Crock Pot Split Pea Soup and Dinner Rolls

This is a recipe I found on one of my favorite blogs. It is really easy and so tasty. I had three bowls of this soup in one sitting. This was such a nice comforting dish. One of those dishes that just feels like it is nourishing your body when you eat it. Totally good. No this is not the most attractive dish to look at but once you eat it you will be hooked. Split peas will become your best friends and you may even start a fan club. Just kidding, but seriously I really liked it. I served it with the rolls I posted as well. Paired together these two recipes make for a very good home-cooked meal. Sorry the roll picture is sideways. I don't know how to rotate it. Oh well just tilt your head sideways, its good exercise for your neck.

Crock Pot Split Pea Soup
from Favorite Family Recipes

* I halved the recipe and it made plenty

1 pkg (about 2 1/2 c. or 1 lb.), dried split peas
9 c. chicken broth (if you like it thick, use 8 c.)
4 carrots, coarsely chopped
3 medium potatoes, diced small
3 celery stalks, chopped
1 onion, finely chopped
2 Lb. diced ham (about 2 c. or so)
1 tsp. minced garlic
1 tsp. Kosher Salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
1 bay leaf

Combine all ingredients in Crock Pot and cook on low for about 7-8 hours (or on high for about 4-5 hours). Remove bay leaf before serving.

 Dinner Rolls
from BH&G cookbook 11th edition
* I prefer instant yeast over the pkg.;  it just seems to turn out better but you can use either just fine. Also I would use a Bosch to mix and knead the dough to make things easier unless you like to waste time and make things hard for yourself, but have you ever mixed bread dough with an electric beater? It is seriously aggravating.

4 1/4 to  4 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 pkg. active dry yeast or 2 1/4 tsp. instant yeast
1 cup milk
1/3 cup butter or margarine
3/4 tsp. salt
2 beaten eggs

In a large mixing bowl stir together 2 cups of flour and the yeast. In a medium saucepan heat and stir milk, sugar, butter, and salt just till warm and butter almost melts. Add milk mixture to dry mixture along with the eggs. Beat with an electric mixer on low for 30 seconds. Beat on high for 3 minutes. Using a wooden spoon, stir in as much of the remaining flour as you can. Turn dough onto a lightly floured surface. Knead in enough remaining flour to make a  moderately stiff dough that is smooth and elastic. Shape the dough into a ball and place in a greased bowl turning once.. Cover and let rise until double. Punch dough down . Divide in half , cover and let rest for ten minutes. Shape into desired shape for rolls. Place on greased baking sheet or in muffin tins. Cover and let rise till nearly double. Bake at 375 for 12-15 minutes until golden. Remove from pans and allow to cool on wire racks.
*If you wish to make wheat rolls sub one and one fourth cups of the flour for whole wheat flour.