Crockpot Black Eyed Pea Soup

We are having a cold spell here in Florida...as in 50 degrees cold!!! Brrr!!! I'm taking full advantage of this cold weather and making some soup! This soup is similar to the white bean and ham soup I have made before, but there were some changes/additions. This soup is truly the easiest thing to make and so filling. Parker "helped" me make the soup by shaking some herbs into the soup. He loves to help me cook even if it's just to shake the herb container or to stir. When he helps cook, he does tend to eat a lot more. He gobbled it up. Avery gobbled it up. Kevin gobbled it up. I gobbled it up. Easy. Delicious.

Gather it:
1 lb dried black eyed peas
2 thick slices of ham, large cubes (you can also use ham hocks, but my grocery store doesn't carry them)
2 cartons (32 oz each) of chicken stock
1 can (14.5 oz) of chicken stock
1 large white onion, large diced
5 cloves of garlic, minced (we love garlic, you can use less if you're not a fan)
2.5 cups of fresh kale, lightly packed (seems like a lot, but it shrinks like spinach)
dried parsley, more than quite a few shakes of the container b/c Parker tends to go crazy
dried oregano, just a few shakes
black pepper, to taste

Make it:
1. Place all ingredients in crockpot. Cook on low for 6-8 hours.

Avery picked the little bits of ham off first...lol

FYI, I did sprinkle a little bit of sea salt on my bowl of soup, but the kids had theirs unsalted and I also added a few drops of hot sauce that we bought from a local vendor at one of our farmer's market. I literally added 3 drops of hot sauce and my mouth was practically on fire, but it was so good! lol We also had it with corn bread muffins. I drizzled a tiny bit of honey on top of each corn muffin before I baked it so the top got a little sweet hint. The whole meal was absolutely delicious!!!