Split Pea Soup & Biscuits

So I had this big ham bone left over for Christmas and was trying to figure out what to do with it. I have made 10 bean soup and pintos with ham-hock but I thought I'd try split pea soup. When Travis had his jaw surgery last year, he was wired shut for about 6 weeks. I became the grand-poobah of soup making. I made every kind of soup imaginable so he would not get bored. My sister-in-law makes split pea and I was weary because of the name and color but remember it being delicious. So I made it tonight. I was going to make cornbread but I don't have any corn meal and I am out of my little jiffy boxes too so decided to make biscuits. To my surprise the recipe I used made them only 2 points each. Here are the recipes.

Green Split Pea Soup (5-6 points per bowl)
Ham hock (OR 1/2 cup chopped ham)
8 cups water
1-1/4 cups green split peas
1 large onion chopped

1 red bell pepper
1 clove garlic minced
2 cups diced carrots
1 or 2 potatoes diced
(salt and pepper to taste)

Combine water and peas in a large pot and bring to a boil.

Add in ham hock and simmer gently for 1 hour.

Add in onions, garlic, pepper, carrots, potatoes and salt and pepper to taste.

Simmer gently for 1 more hour until peas are tender and soup is really thick.

Hot Buttermilk Biscuits (2 points each)

2 cups flour
½ teaspoon salt
3 teaspoons baking powder
¼ teaspoon baking soda
3 Tablespoons butter
2/3 cup buttermilk

Sift together dry ingredients.
Cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse cornmeal.
Add buttermilk all at once.
Stir lightly with fork.
Knead gently on lightly floured board.
Roll ½ inch thick.
Cut with 3 inch round cutter. (I cut with 2 inch...it made 15 biscuits)
Place on baking dish with biscuits touching.
Bake at 450 degrees for 12-15 or until lightly browned.

Original recipes found at http://pinkcookieswithsprinkles.blogspot.com