Great recipies! I did something quite similar to what lillyjane did. I wanted something like Beef-n-Noodles and didn't find anything I really liked on Allrecipies.com. I had some cut up cross-rib and round steak I made into stew meat size chunks. I seasoned and browned the meat then tossed into crockpot. Then I added 2 cans of cream of celery, about 1 cup water and an envelope of brown gravy mix and about 1 T worchestershire. I added a green bell pepper cut into strips and about 2 cloves of minced garlic. Cooked on low for about 5 hours. Mixed all with cooked macaroni and it was polished off quick! I would have used egg noodles, but only had regular mac. The outcome was very tender meat and all was very creamy and simply YUM! Yesterday I did a crockpot of Red Beans and Rice (rice cooked on the side) and it was good. Soak 1 c. dried beans overnight, drain and rinse beans. Add to crock. Chop up green bell pepper, celery and onion (the Holy Trinity) and toss in. Add garlic, creole seasoning and pepper. If desired also add Crushed Red Pepper or Cayenne. Toss in a ham-hock if you have one. I usually do but all I had was bacon ends. If you have access to Andouille Sausage, slice into rounds and saute just a bit and add that as well. You can also saute the "Holy Trinity" with the sausage if you want or skip it (it's gonna cook all day). I didn't have any Andouille so substituted with chopped Turkey-Ham (this also gave the smoked flavor I missed not having the Ham-hock! Plus it's healthier!). Add about 3-4 c. water...just so beans are covered. Add a bay leaf. Cook on high 5-6 hours or cook on low for 10-11. Serve over rice and garnish with green onion. Note: If it isn't thick enough for you at the end, take a spoon and mash some of the beans up on the side of the pot and let it cook on high with the lid off for about 1 more hour. If it's STILL not as think as you want then you can go ahead and do cornstarch/water and mix in.

Teresa - suggestion: Why not try out your new cooker while hot weather is here? That way you can judge precisely how much heat comes from your cooker. I made the peach cake on a very hot and humid day here in Maine, and could not feel any added heat from my cooker. Good luck, and enjoy your new appliance.

Thank you jasdip. I figured the cut you used was a shoulder. I think the marinade would work on the cut I have in my freezer, but I won't do well in a slow cooker. Chase - there are people who lurk and don't have much experience. I asked so jasdip could clarify to those that don't understand that different cuts respond to different cooking methods. Chase you wrote: "jasdip, not to worry. Most on this forum can figure out the cut and the size based on your recipe." Yes Chase I agree with you in part - but there are always newcomers and inexperienced people who visit also. And there may be people who don't know how to cook at all. It is a public forum and open to anyone who cares to join. A comment like that might intimidate an inexperienced newcomer. Teresa

It's cold here this morning, and a crockpot with pork roast in it sounds very inviting! I have 2 recipes I use for pork roast in the crockpot. The first one is probably what you're looking for - we like it with mashed potatoes. The second will feed a big crowd, and has Mexican flavors. CRANBERRY PORK ROAST (serves 4-6) 1 boneless pork loin roast (approx. 3 lbs) 1 16 oz. can jellied cranberry sauce 1/4 c. sugar 1/2 c. cranberry juice 1 tsp. dry mustard 1/4 tsp. dry cloves Place pork roast in a slow cooker. Mash cranberry sauce in a bowl, mix it with the sugar, juice and spices. Pour over the roast - cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours or until meat is tender. Remove meat from the pot and keep warm while you make the gravy. Skim fat from juices, measure 2 cups (adding water if necessary) and pour into a saucepan. Bring to a boil. Make a paste with 1 1/2 Tbsp. cornstarch and 1 1/2 Tbsp. cold water - stir into gravy - cook and stir until thickened. Season to taste with salt and pepper. (Note: I don't always thicken the gravy, sometimes I just use what's in the pot by itself). ------------------------------------------------------------ CHALUPA PORK ROAST 3 lb. pork roast (bone in) 1 lb. pinto beans 2 very large cloves fresh chopped garlic 2 Tbsps. chile powder 1 Tbsp. ground cumin 1 tsp. oregano 1 can chopped green chiles 1 Tbsp. salt Trim fat off meat, wash and sort the beans, combine all ingredients in a large crockpot and cover with water. Cook on low for 6-8 hours - remove bones, break up roast - continue to cook until beans are tender and mixture is thickened. Serve burrito style (flour tortillas, cheese, chopped veggies, sour cream etc.) seagrass