I have had this cookbook for a couple of years and this year bought more of them to give to my grown children, who haven't used their crockpots very much. I've made more than half the recipes in my book and every one has been a standout! True, there is a bit of preparation before putting ingredients into the cooker, but that's the beauty of having an awesome meal ready at dinner time - that it doesn't taste like something you just threw into the pot and hoped for the best. Fish chowder, celery soup and southwestern corn and roasted red pepper soups are worth having the book for themselves! The cumin pot roast, "easy pot roast" and boeuf bourguignon are wonderful winter dishes that fill the house with lovely aroma all day. My family has had each of these several times and always raves. Pork roast with chili orange sauce is yummy (I left out the banana, as we are not fans). Pork chops and onions was a huge hit, and I even forgot to finish with the mustard sause! Chicken with sage makes a lovely brown sauce and the chicken comes out incredibly tender. Roast chicken in tarragon cream sauce is a real company-worthy meal. I serve it with couscous and roasted beets. I could go on and on . . .The thing I love about this cookbook, aside from that the recipes all come out so well, is that most of the ingredients are things I have in my kitchen already. There are not a lot of foreign or specialized ingredients to go out and hunt for. I can really thaw a piece of meat and flip through the book to find a recipe I can use for tonight's main course.I have a huge collection of cookbooks, and can say without a doubt that this one is used more often than any other I own. I totally reccommend it to beginners or seasoned cooks.