Victor asked for Lovely Wife's split pea soup recipe. She gave it in the comments but I'm putting it up here where everybody will notice it. It's my good deed for the day - spreading goodwill and yummy food, not to mention AssWar ammunition.

Just to warn y'all, this isn't quite so much a recipe as it is a force of nature. Lovely Wife cooks her soups the old fashioned way, by love and intuition.

Step One - the stock

Get a ham bone or some marrow bones. Better yet, make a shoulder, butt or picnic roast, eat it and save the bones.

Put the bones in a stock pot, add water to cover the bones and a bit more.

Add two bullion cubes (the big ones from Knorr - beef flavor).

Cover.

Heat on high until it boils then reduce to a simmer and let it cook down about 3 hours.

The leftover meat bits should fall off the bone when it's ready. Remove the bone.

Step Two - the peas

Add two packs of dried split peas (16 oz bags). Don't soak them first like the package probably says, that's just silly.

Cover.

Simmer 2-3 hours until it's all soft and mushy.

Other things you can put in

Whatever meat didn't fall off the bone - strip it and put it in the pot.

A couple of large potatoes (skinned and cubed).

Carrots (cubed).

Greens (yuck).

Best practices

Make it the day before. Start at 3 or 4 pm and it'll be done by 10 pm. Leave it to cool overnight. No fridge! Warm it back up for dinner the next day.

Put unused portions in the freezer. They're good for a month.

Make the stock part of this recipe for whatever soups you want. It's also great for cooking rice and mashed potatoes.