ITALIAN BEEF
One 3-4 lb roast beef (rump roast or sirloin tip)
1 jar pepperochini peppers, juice & all
1 can beer
1 can beef bouillon
Combine all ingredients in a large crockpot. Cook on high 30 minutes; reduce heat to low. Cook until beef is tender. For supper, start cooking before work. If you want it for luch cook at bedtime.)
Remove meat from juices, slice thinly & return to pot. Serve on hoagie buns & dip sandwiches in juice.~~

CROCKPOT FRENCH DIP SANDWICHES
2 cups water
1/2 cup soy sauce
4 whole peppercorns
1 tsp dried rosemary
1 tsp dried thyme
1 bay leaf
1 tsp garlic powder (had none so used 1 minced garlic clove)
3 lb boneless beef chuck roast, trimmed
8 French or sourdough rolls, split
Combine water, soy sauce, peppercorns, rosemay, thym & garlic in a slow cooker, stirring until wel blended. Place rost in cooker & cover.
Cook on high for 5-6 hours or until beef is tender. Remove meat from broth & shred with a fork. Serve beef on rolls. Pour broth in small bowls for dipping.~~ Good topped with Swiss cheese or sauteed onions, peppers or both. I like mustard on the rolls, too.~~

CROCKPOT ROAST

Makes 8 servings
Source: Williams-Sonoma.
Because a rump roast is a tougher cut of meat, it lends itself nicely to preparation in a slow cooker. After long, slow cooking in the aromatic liquid, the roast emerges flavorful and fork-tender.

1 yellow onion finely chopped
4 carrots finely chopped
1 pound red-skin potatoes cut into 1/2" pieces
1 1/2 cups unsalted beef broth
1 cup tomato sauce
1 cloves garlic crushed
3 fresh thyme sprigs
1 bay leaf
1 beef rump roast (3 to 4 lbs)
Salt to taste
Black pepper to taste
1/4 cup flour
Extra-virgin olive oil

Put the onion, carrots, potatoes, broth, tomato sauce, garlic, thyme and bay thyme and bay leaf in a slow cooker and stir to combine.
Season the roast with salt and papper. Put the flour in a large bowl, add the roast and turn to coat evenly. In a large saute pan over medium-high heat, warm the olive oil until nearly smoking. Add the roast and brown on all sides, 3 to 4 minutes total. Transfer to the slow cooker, cover and cook on high for 6 hours, according to the manufacturer's instruction.
Transfer the roast to a cutting board, cover loosely with aluminum foil and let rest for 5 minutes. Slice the meat and arrange on a warmed platter. Remove the bay leaf and serve the vegetables and sauce alongside.

I still find it strange that the meat cooks quicker than vegetables in a crockpot... that's why they go on the bottom.

I almost forget this ... it's great if you don't have two ovens ...

Cornbread Dressing in the Slow Cooker

Makes 12 servings
Source: Southern Living, 2005

4 1/2 cups cornbread crumbs
1 16-ounce package herb stuffing mix
2 10 3/4-ounce cans cream of chicken soup
2 14 1/2-ounce cans low-sodium chicken broth
1 medium onion chopped
1/2 cup chopped celery
1 tbsp rubbed dried sage
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
2 tbsps butter cut up

In a large bowl stir together the cornbread crumbs, suffing mix, soup, broth, onion, celery, sage, salt and pepper.
Pour into a lightly greased 5 1/2 qt slow-cooker. Dot with butter. Cook, covered on LOW 4 hours or until cooked through and set.

A big favorite here:
Crockpot chicken:
Make 4 tennis sized balls of foil and put in the bottom of the crockpot. Remove the gizzard, livers, etc, from a whole chicken cavity. Rinse and sprinkle cavity with 1 tsp of seasoned salt. Stuff with half of a lemon. Put in crockpot, sprinkle with the other half of lemon juice and seasoned salt and a little pepper. Cover and cook for 6-7 hours on low. Will be falling apart tender and the juice is great over the chicken. Can be thickened and used as gravy if desired.

the easiest crock pot recipe ever:

Succulent pot roast

3-4 lbs boneless pot roast
1 envelope dry french onion soup mix
1 large can of cream of mushroom

mix soups together, put in meat, and cook on LOW for about 10 hours, this also makes the best gravy

I love my crockpot!!

Slow-Cooker Chicken & Dumplings
From Campbell's Kitchen

Prep Time: 20 min. - Cook Time: About 8 hr.

Ingredients:
1 1/2 lb. skinless, boneless chicken breasts cut into 1" pieces
2 medium Yukon gold potatoes cut into 1" pieces
2 cups baby whole carrots
2 stalks celery, sliced
2 cans (10 3/4 oz. each) Campbell's® Cream of Chicken Soup OR 98% Fat Free Cream
of Chicken Soup
1 cup water
1 tsp. dried thyme leaves, crushed
1/4 tsp. ground black pepper
2 cups all-purpose baking mix
2/3 cup milk

Directions:
PLACE chicken, potatoes, carrots and celery in 6-qt. slow cooker.
MIX soup, water, thyme and black pepper. Pour over all.
COVER and cook on LOW 7 to 8 hr.* or until chicken is done.
MIX baking mix and milk. Spoon batter over chicken mixture. Tilt lid to vent and cook on HIGH 30 min. or until dumplings are cooked in center. Serves 8.

*Or on HIGH 4 to 5 hr.

SOFT CHICKEN TACOS

1 3-4 lb chicken, cut up and skin removed
1 8 oz can tomato sauce
1 4 oz can green chiles
1/3 c. chopped onion
2 T. chili powder
2 T. Worcestershire sauce
1/4 t. garlic powder
10 flour tortillas (8 inch) shredded cheddar cheese
salsa
shredded lettuce
chopped tomato
sour cream

Place chicken in 3 qt slow cooker. In a small bowl, combine the tomato sauce, chiles, onion, chili powder, Worcestershire sauce and garlic powder; pour over chicken. Cover and cook on low for 5-6 hours until chicken is tender and juices from chicken are clear.

Remove the chicken. Shred meat with 2 forks, discard bones. Return meat to slow cooker and heat through. Spoon chicken down center of each tortilla, top with desired toppings.

Thank you for contributing your tried and true favorite crock pot recipes! I was so excited when I bought the crock pot, and so disappointed when the recipes that I had tried turned out so average.

I would appreciate anyone who uses a crock pot and and has found really delicious recipes to share them. I am sure that it would help those who have been disappointed with their crock pot dinners, to pull out that crock pot and give it another chance!

This is from a friend on another board....she says try it and then tell her how much you love her.....

1 pot roast
1 envelope dry italian salad dressing mix (such as French's or Good Seasons)
1/2 C pitted Kalmata olives
1/4 C sundried tomatoes (preferrably in foil package, if not then drain oil)

You may brown the roast first if you'd rather....I've made it without browning and it's fine. Put the roast on bottom of crockpot, sprinkle dry salad dressing mix over roast, add olives and tomato....cover and cook on low 6-8 hrs. You may also add vegetables, like potato, carrot, etc., if you'd like. This is really good.

I am now a fan of the crock pot. Not your small, ordinary crock pot, but the big oval one with the different heat settings and automatic shut off. It is wonderful to toss in a few ingredients, and have a wonderful dinner waiting when ever you are ready at that stressful time of day, when we are all tired, and hungry. The food is so much BETTER TASTING, and ALOT cheaper than takeout meals, which can be hit or miss, or when you just get really tired of take out food. The other benefit is when you have people coming in a varying times, and some need to eat earlier, and others later, the food is just as good for the first one to eat, as it is for the last which may be 2 hours later.

Anyway, KEEP THE "GOOD" RECIPES COMING!!!

If you haven't used your crock pot in awhile, you may want to give it another try! Sure beats standing in a grocery line at 6:30 p.m. and trying to think what to make for dinner yet again! Or spending $40 on take out meals that often are average at best.

Beef roast-
3-4 lb beef arm roast- for tenderness
3 cups water
1 medium chopped into slices yellow-and or- red onion
1 packet dry onion soup mix
1 small bag of baby carrots
5 white round potatoes chopped into cubes whit skins on-explain later

1 can of drained mushrooms(or 2 depending on how much you like them)

2 tbsp salt
pepper seasoned to taste

2 tablespoon garlic powder- or you can replace salt with garlic salt
2-3 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil

basil,oregano,and any other of your favorite seasonings

In crockpot mix together 2 cups water, half packet of onion soup mix, salt and pepper and any other seasonings. Put crockpot on high and let soup warm while we move to the next step

Have a large skillet- big enough for the roast- place on stove with olive oil and turn stovetop to medium- let this heat up while your seasoning the beef

First cut the beef roast in halves. Blot dry with a paper towel.. next take a knife and make slits in the beef against the grain all the way across just enough to score it for seasonings. season the beef the with the seasonings from above..

Braize the beef for about 5-8 minutes on each and everyside of the beef- until it has a nice brown coat. Once browned use a knife to poke slits through the beef to help the flavors cook through.

Next step place the browned beef in the crockpot and put crock pot to either A) medium (will take apprx. 6-8 hours) B) leave it on high (apprx. 4-5 hours)

Next in the skillet you had braized the beef in, add your potatoes, carrots, 1 cup water, the rest of the onion soup mix, the chopped onions, mushrooms as well as any seasonigs you desire leave skillet on medium and let simmer while coverd for apprx. 10 -15. This is why you leave the skins on the potatoes, it allows the potatoes to get soft yet the skin keeps them intact as they dont crumble..... yet.
Once that has simmered simply pour into your crockpot. cooked for the alotted time. The roast and potatoes will be melt in your mouth, and with the onion/beef gravy on top will be flavorfull.

Chicken - 3-4 breasts on the bone
1 jar of Russian salad dressing (Wishbone is the one I can find that still makes Russian but I'm betting a Catalina or French would work as well)
1 jar of Apricot preserves

Cook 6 hours or so...serve with/over rice or noodles

Easy & even my kids eat it!