You can have a potroast in the crockpot well before all the pre-game foofuraw starts, just remember to get some of those brown-n-serve dinner rolls to serve with it and you are golden.
Prep: 1) Take the roast outa the pkg, salt it and pepper it, brown it in a skillet on high heat.
2)Pour half a bottle of cheap red wine in the skillet and get all the good brown bits loosened up off the bottom - pour this in the crockpot.
3)Drop the roast in the crockpot, add a coupla taters, a half dozen big carrots, an onion in quarters, and a can of beef broth.
4)Set on high for an hour, down on low until honey comes home.
5)Try to look humble when she takes a deep sniff and says it smells wonderful.