Pea Soup

2 quarts water
2 cups (1 lb.) green split peas
1 stalk celery coarsely chopped
1 small onion, chopped
1 large carrot, chopped
Salt and pepper to taste
¼ tsp. thyme
Few drops of Tabasco sauce
1 small bay leaf

1.Combine all ingredients and boil for 20 minutes, partly covered.
2. Reduce heat, cover and simmer for 45 minutes or until peas are tender. 3. Discard bay leaf and strain soup through a sieve into another pot, or a microwavable casserole dish. Adjust seasoning to taste and reheat. (you need a lot of salt for this recipe. I use about 1 tbl. other wise it is bland).
-- You can put in the refrigerator then warm up for dinner. Serving it with garlic bread, or melted cheese on bread and a salad makes it a good hearty meal. (great for Halloween night).

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

Mix together:
• 2 cups sugar
• 1 cup applesauce
Add:
• 2 eggs, beaten (or just add one egg at a time and mix thoroughly)
• 2 cups canned pumpkin
• 2 tsps vanilla
• 2 tsps milk
In a separate bowl, stir together:
• 4 cups flour
• 1 tsp salt
• 4 tsps baking powder
• 2 tsps baking soda
• 2 (generous) tsps cinnamon

Add dry ingredients to wet, then stir in 1 12-ounce package chocolate chips. I prefer semi-sweet, Josh likes milk chocolate, so in this one, I will allow for either taste (in most cookies I demand semi-sweet!)
Drop by teaspoonsful onto greased cookie sheet. Bake at 375 for 10 min. Makes 4 1/2 to 5 dozen cookies.