Most of the time, I use mine just for pea or lentil soup:
1 bag lentils or split peas ham bone or 1 cup chopped ham 5 carrots 1 medium onion 5 stalks celery 1 large potato 15 peppercorns
Chop all vegetables and throw everything in the pot. Fill almost to the top with water. Cook on low, 10-24 hours. If desired, puree soup with an electric mixer when it's finished cooking.
My wife the semi-vegetarian cringes at seeing vegetables cooked for so long. She says it destroys the enzymes, or something. Maybe so, but it tastes good. She takes hers out just after the vegetables begin to soften.