I've tried a number of methods from essentially boiling it when you add a bottle of something or too much liquid and you wind up fishing around in this sludge to find the shrunken tough meat to sauces to other methods. Less liquid is better. The key, as Jim said is the proper meat. I like a chuck roast or a pork shoulder roast. They'll give off plenty of fluid. I like to put some onion on the bottom so it's not all gray on the bottom and it gets some flavor. Some put sacrificial veggies in there as a rack thinking it flavors the gravy, OK, maybe it does. But I like the taters on top in a drier atmosphere so it'll brown those babies and they're delicious. They'll give off moisture too so again, adding liquid is a recipe for soup. I definitely vote to brown the meat. Onions & garlic should be sautéed too if you want it better. People think a "slow cooker" is a magical chef that can make a lousy cook a good cook and eliminate basic cooking techniques a thought with which I don't agree but I digress. If you want it simple, put a can of mushroom soup on top of a piece of roadkill, sprinkle it with onion soup mix, make up some instant mashed potatoes and open a can of gravy. Serve with leftover green bean gasserole. (shudder) And of course if this is what you like, go for it and enjoy it, no need to bother bellyaching about it. I also firmly believe that you can easily overcook things in a slow cooker. You can easily boil/steam all the moisture out of meat, turn the vegetables into mush and I really think it's important to realize it's an appliance that needs to be properly used to achieve best results. I've had delicious meals from slow cookers and I've had what I wouldn't feed as dog food that was made in a slow cooker. Cook's Country this weekend did a show about using a pork roast in a slow cooker. Their emphasis was what I've found. Less moisture is better. Here's an adaptation using a beef roast

Grilled Chicken/Veggie Kabobs W/Yogurt Sauce Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method -------- ------------ -------------------------------- Yogur Sauce 16 oz. Plain whole-milk yogurt (if skim or low-fat yogurt is used -- strain in coffee filter overnight before using, to remove excess liquid) 1 Cucumber - peeled and seeded - grated 4 T. Olive oil 3 Garlic cloves - minced (pressed through a garlic press) 1 T. White vinegar Salt/pepper to taste Kabobs 6 Boneless chicken cutlets 2 Packet Good Seasons salad dressing mix - prepared according to packet instructions 3 Zucchini - sliced into 2" rounds 2 Large onions - quartered 2 Green peppers (can use any color pepper) - trimmed an cut into 2" squares 2 Cans small -- whole potatoes Skewers Pita bread (optional) Olive oil (optional) For Yogurt Sauce, mix all ingredients and refrigerate overnight. Kabobs Cut chicken breasts into 2" pieces Marinate in 2 of the prepared Good Seasons dressing for at least 1 hour.(The other 2 will be used for basting) Remove chicken from marinade - discard marinade. Alternately thread chicken, zucchini, onions, and green peppers on skewer (can cook veggies separately from chicken if desired) Thread potatoes onto separate skewers. Preheat grill til hot. Baste potatoes with dressing and place on grill, turning and basting occasionally - cook until browned. Grill chicken until cooked, basting occasionally. Brush both sides of pita with olive oil and grill for 3 minutes each side. Serve with yogurt sauce.

Here is one more suggestion. I didn't read everything above so I hope this is not duplicated. About a year ago I was telling a single mom of 4 that I know how stressed i get over dinner. I felt pressure to be creative and cook sophisticated things sometimes...but it was hard to pick recipes, the kids (9,7,4) and DH are all kind of picky, and it was not fun. She said that she used a plan that would help but first I have to let go of the impression that I needed to be creative and have a lot of variety. My goal (according to her and I agree) should be first, to feed the family, and second, keep stress in the house to a minimum. Here is the plan she taught me. First, you pick a set of 4 meals that are easy, reliable, and well-received in your house. In our house, it is tacos, enchiladas, spaghetti with meat sauce or meatballs, and one chicken dish. Set a schedule using your list. At our house, Monday is taco night, Tuesday enchilada, Wed spaghetti, Thursday is chicken. Have easy veggie dishes always on hand. For us, it is always raw carrots and salad. Fruit is easy. So every night we generally have a well balanced meal consisting of a protein, 2 veggies, and fruit. It is easy to shop. With my menu being so ground beef focused, If I'm so inclined it is easy to prepare 4 or 5 pounds of ground beef on Monday and use the leftovers on the subsequent nights. This plan makes grocery shopping incredibly easy, too. We always buy taco shells, tortillas, taco sauce, shredded cheese, lots of ground beef, veggies, and salad. (RE: the cheese, I buy a ton whenever it is on sale and keep it in the freezer. no need to thaw - I just dump whatever amount I need into the pan frozen. it also melts pretty well in the micro if you need - just don't put the timer on too long). Once you have this framework in place, 4 nights are taken care of and if you want to be creative or take more time, you can do it on Fri, Sat, or Sun when (I hope) you have more time or a less rigid schedule. Or during the week sometimes I mix it up if I feel like it and had the time. One surprising outcome of this plan in my house is that EVERYONE is happier. I thought the kids or DH would object to it being boring, but at least at these ages the kids enjoy the predictibilty. Often they hated my "creative" stuff and now they know what they're going to get. Good luck to you! Oh, RE: the dishwasher, I have a lot of faith in a good husband. What would he do if you showed him your post? What would he do if you sat down with him when you're totally calm and not stressed and set a goal together of making dinners less stressful? State the problem and tell him you got a bunch of ideas from your friends here. Ask him to brainstorm with you what ideas would help make dinners better. If you approach it as a teammate with him and look for joint solutions, I would predict that the dishes thing will come up and you'll get buy-in from him. With my husband, a few years ago I had these expectations that if I was gone in the evening, he'd do everything with the kids and the house that I would do (ie, get them to bed on time, clean up the kitchen) before he moved on to his leisure activities. When I would arrive home and he didn't, I'd get mad, fights would ensue, blah blah blah. When someone is mad at you, it is very difficult to see their point :) So one day I wised up and I told him calmly that when I go out in the evening (which is rare) to relax and get away from the craziness here, I get immediately stressed again when I walk back into a trashed kitchen and a living room with crap all over the place. I'm not a neatnik by any means, but this was ridiculous! So once I told him without the anger what I hoped for, he did it. I was half amazed at the power of just being assertive and nice and asking for what I needed, and half depressed that I was so old before I figured it out! Again, good luck! anita

Sylviatexas, yes, I have eaten mock apple pie that a friend's mother made for an after school treat when I went home with her after school one day about 1955. I had never had it, and if I had not been told, I would have thought it was a slice of apple pie. The Ritz crackers are halved, and the only thing that gives it away is that the edges of the "apples" are scalloped or look like they have been peeled with pinking shears. That was an interesting visit. When my friend introduced me to her mother, her mom gasped and asked if I was Jack ____'s daughter. I replied that I was, and she proceeded to tell me how he was so handsome and she had had a crush on him in their single days. At dinner that night I related this mom's report of my dad. He was tickled to hear that a girl he did not remember from his past remembered him. I have seen pictures of my dad from back then, and he looked like a slender Bert Lancaster.