Vera I just drop them in the boiling broth about 15 to 20 min. before I want to serve and they are nice and round and fluffy. I don't make big ones.

Oh, crock-potters, you are going to lvoe this! I tasted a chocolate lava cake recently and just got the recipe. Basically it's this:
Mix up a devils food mix per directions, put it in the pot. Mix up a small chocolate instant pudding mix per directions, pour it on top. Open a 12-oz pkg of semi-sweet chocolate chips and pour them over the top of all, covering. Put the lid on and cook on hi for 2 1/2 to 3 hrs. It's done when the chocolate begins to "erupt" in little volcanoes. Serve with a spoon. Very very moist.

Have you all tried apple butter in the pot? I think wehave another thread on that one.

Oh, oh, oh ... granIN. I am speechless!

That chocolate cake sounds some good!! I will have to try it soon.

Wow, that lasagna sound genius! I looooove lasagna and I am very good at making it (one of like the three things I can cook - ha!) but boy it is a pain in the rear. I usually make 6-8 pans at one time. I am going to try this!

Here are a couple of my crock-pot standards:

Roast Brisket

One beef brisket (not corned!)
One package of instant onion soup mix
Prepared mustard

Put the meat in, fat side up. Smear the fat with the mustard (I usually use stone ground but any kind works, and dry mustard does, too, if you're out of the regular kind). Sprinkle with onion soup packet. Cook on low all day.

I often fill up the rest of the pot with potatoes, onions, celery, carrots, etc. to have a nice "pot roast." Makes a delicious but thin gravy to serve with the potatoes. You can thicken it up if you'd like, after taking all the stuff out, but I usually don't b/c I'm lazy.

Crock-pot Potato Soup

Any kind of potatoes (I usually use small red "new" potatoes)
Carrots
Celery
Onion
Mushrooms if you like them, drained cans or fresh
Anything else that sounds good, veggie-wise.

Salt and pepper to taste
Bay leaf
Veggie or chicken bullion cube

Can of evaporated milk
Couple pieces of cooked and crumbled back, or bacon bits

I fill the pot with veggies, it really doesn't matter what the proportions are. I usually get a bag of the red new potatoes and cut them into bite-sized pieces and throw them in, then everything on top. Put everything in except the evap milk and bacon. Fill with water to an inch from the top. Cook on low all day.

Right before serving remove bay leaf and stir in evap milk. At this point I use an hand immersion blender and blend it up a bit, leaving plenty of chunks. Before I had the immersion blender I'd take half out, puree in a regular blender, and mix back in the pot. Top with bacon. Heats up well for leftovers. I usually serve with some garlic toast or sourdough.

You can cook almost anything in the slow cooker. Sometimes you have to practice with the recipe to make it work just right for you in the slow cooker. I do bread, cakes, beef/venison roasts, whole roasted chickens, etc. These things have been around for years, nothing new..just re-invented recipes. I guess because of folks being more "heart healthy", and using less energy, makes sense to bring the slow cooker out of the pantry and fire it up again.

Potato soup tomorrow! Thanks.

Let me know how it turns out!

Liz 1 - Don't worry about having a 3 qt crock. Just make sure to leave about 1 inch from the top empty (to prevent overflow).
I have been using a 1 qt Rival Crockette successfully for awhile now (it's temperature is low or off so time planning is required). I'm cooking for 2 and don't want leftovers. Here's a dessert that worked several times and is suitable for a 3 qt crock as is.

3/4 C. all-purpose baking mix such as Bisquick
1/3 C. granulated sugar

1/2 C. packed brown sugar
1/2 can evaporated milk
2 tsp. margarine or butter, melted
2 large eggs
3 large ripe peaches, mashed
2 tsp. pure vanilla extract
3/4 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp. ground clove
dash ground nutmeg (optional)
Directions
Lightly grease crock pot or spray with non-stick cooking spray. In a large mixing bowl, combine sugar and baking mix. Add eggs and vanilla extract. Stir. Pour in margarine and milk and stir. Mix in peaches and spices, until well mixed. Pour into crock pot. Cover and cook on low for six to eight hours or on high for 3 to 4 hours. Serve warm. Top with vanilla ice cream if desired.

I've used home canned peaches instead of fresh with great results. AND I like to leave chunks of peach instead of mashing it all up.

When cooking in the 1 quart I use only a third of the recipe. Yes, measuring 2 Tablespoons and 2 teaspoons of something is a pain, but here again exactness is not essential. A third of an 2 eggs is achieved by beating 1 egg up and only using a little more than half of it. The rest gets used in tomorrow's scrambled eggs.

by the way, have we all tried the crockpot apple butter? I don't have the exact amounts with me now, but the principle is this: Chunk up your apples (peeled and cored, of course) into the crock pot, up to the top. Pour over the sugar and spices, etc. Cover the pot and let stand overnight. Next morning, plug it in and cook for 6 hours. NO peeking, NO stirring. Unplug and whiz in the food processor for texture. Really good, and really really easy.

Gran, I've never tried apple butter, do you or someone have the recipe...what spices, how much sugar, etc. Would love to try this in the fall when the apples are ripe.

GranIN, that apple butter sounds great! I just have to find the time to eat all this stuff now!

Should report that I fixed beef short ribs and sauerkraut a few weeks ago and it was delicious. Put a third to half of the sauerkraut on the bottom. Add in beef short ribs. Put remaining sauerkraut on top. Cook all day. Uh.. pretty simple, eh? It was delicious! The last few hours I added some quartered potates on top.

This was all because I got a parcel of beef last fall that included a pkg of short ribs. I had never cooked them before; the "recipe" was recommended as an all-day oven deal, and I just used the crock pot instead.

We have our own beef of course, and at the end of the freezer, it seems like I wind up with several packages of ribs.

Going to try that recipe today! thanks. Mrs.K

So did you try it???

Yes, smack smack, they were