Black Eyed Pea Soup in the Slowcooker

1 pound dried black eyed peas
1 pound spicy sausage
6 cups chicken broth
1 yellow onion, diced
1 cup diced carrots
1 cup diced celery
4 cloves garlic, diced
1/2 tsp. Italian seasoning
1 tsp. kosher salt
1/2 tsp. black pepper
Tabasco sauce

Soak your beans overnight. Drain and pick out the undesirables (broken, discolored beans) in the morning.

Use a 5 to 6 quart slowcooker. Add diced vegetables and beans to slowcooker. Add sliced sausage. Pour in broth, and stir in Italian seasoning, salt, and pepper.

Cover and cook on low for 8 hours, or on high for about 6. Before serving, use a stick blender to smash up about 1 cup of beans. If you don't have a stick blender, scoop out 1 cup of beans, blend them in a traditional blender, and add back to the soup. Don't blend too much---just enough to get the broth thicker and creamy-looking. Add Tabasco sauce to taste.

Review - Wonderful winter recipe. But it's spring time right? Ok, I'll admit it. Even though I'm posting this under Week 12, I really made it weeks ago. I've lost track of what I made when. I'm just proud of myself for keeping up with my resolution and it's almost April. Go me! Back to the soup...Josie called this "black eyes," which in toddler talk came out sounding like "black guys." Jay and I got a nice chuckle out of hearing our 2 year-old say, "I want more black guys." Mature, I know.