I've recently discovered crock-pot cooking (I was a longtime snob, thinking it was just a lazy way out of learning how to cook properly, so sad!) and really enjoy the fact that your kitchen doesn't heat up like it does with an oven or stovetop on full blast. I've found a lot of recipes that are basically just tossing in some veggies, then some meat, spices, and maybe a little liquid, then cooking all day with no supervision, and you have this amazingly tender meat at the end of the day. Also, when you roast bone-in meats, you can save the bones or carcasses, toss in the crock-pot with onions and a bunch of water, and have perfect, luscious broth the next day.

I love cooking bean dishes in my slow cooker. The beans don't require any pre-soaking this way and they come out wonderfully flavored from their long, gentle cooking. I often prepare something in the evening after the kids are in bed and let it cook overnight (I have a slow cooker with a timer), then warm it up after work for dinner the next day. Here are a couple of recipes I've created for slow cooker bean dishes:
http://www.food52.com/recipes/9586_rio_zape_beans_with_toasted_chile_sauce
http://www.food52.com/recipes/10507_tomatillo_white_beans_and_shredded_pork_tacos

Thank you so very much ladies for the great tips!! I can't WAIT to try these recipes out! :) Thanks again!

Check out this site http://crockpot365.blogspot.com/...some really good suggestions.

What a cutie! There are great slow cooker recipes on this site. (Put slow cooker or crockpot in the search engine.) I used to make stuffed cabbage in a sweet and sour sauce in a slow cooker. (I'd have to find the recipe.) But this one is one of the most creative uses I've seen, and it got me addicted to steel cut oats: http://www.food52.com/recipes/3062_overnight_steelcut_oats_with_almond_butter_honey

Our favorite slow-cooker recipe is to put in a couplefew pounds of country-style pork ribs, a jar of sauerkraut (don't drain or rinse it), a chopped apple, and a chopped onion. Cook it all day on low or 4-6 hours on high. It stops tasting like sauerkraut, so even the kraut lovers in my family like this. It's really odd, but delicious.