great advice, likestocooklovestoeat!

My best advice is also to look for recipes that include the extra step of browning, sauteeing, carmelizing - yes, you have to wash an extra pan, but that will help maximize flavor and vary the texture of your slow cooker dishes which can end up being similar in terms of texture because they often cook in the same way (a braise). This chicken and artichoke dish was the first thing I ever made in the slow cooker, and it remains a high-water mark for me: http://southernfood.about.com/od/crockpotchicken/r/bl23c8.htm

thanks a million, jane_grenier, hillarbee and susan g! these links are soooo helpful

A Year of Slow Cooking www.crockpot365.blogspot.com/
This is a blog devoted to slow cooker recipes.

I found reliable recipes difficult to come by.

Here from the Kitchn: http://www.thekitchn.com/thekitchn/recipe-roundup/10-winter-dinners-from-the-slow-cooker-recipe-roundup-134307
and
http://www.thekitchn.com/thekitchn/recipe-roundup/slow-good-17-incredible-recipes-for-the-slow-cooker-114880

Gratuitous recipe from me:
http://www.food52.com/recipes/7508_slowcooker_hoppin_john

Recipes drawn from "The Gourmet Slow Cooker" can be found here http://bit.ly/gLDPcK on Epicurious.com. And this Minestrone from AOL's KitchenDaily also looks tasty: http://aol.it/hndubI Must admit I haven't hauled out the slow cooker in a while, though...