i want to use my crock pot for the first time and i have some hamburger frozen patties some corn carrots onion?

First, you have to defrost the hamburger, brown it in a pan, and drain off the fat before putting it into the crockpot. Must be done. Otherwise ground meats just end up being a crockpot full of oil and gross.

So defrost, brown, drain meat. Toss it in the crockpot with all the veggies. If the potatoes, carrots, or onions aren't chopped then chop them. Add seasonings you like (salt, pepper, garlic powder, etc). Add 1/2 cup of water if you don't have a can of soup or broth. Part of that 1/2 cup could be used up with soy sauce, bbq sauce, etc) Cook on low for 4-6 hours or high for 2-3.

When you're about ready to eat make the instant potatoes with the butter. Take a bowl full of your crockpot stew, top it with mashed potatoes, and put it under the broiler in your stover for about 1-2 minutes.

Semi-homemade Shepards pie.

Load the crock pot with the hamburger, corn, carrots and onion tomorrow morning. Put some stock in the crock pot, preferably beef, and set to low. Let it cook all day, when you get home from work, make the instant mashed potatoes, and spoon the mixture over them.

You could brown the burgers broken up with the onion chopped and place in the crock pot. deglaze your pan you browned it in with beef broth or water and beef boullion cubes and thicken to form a gravy with either flour or corn starch. Add to crock pot also. Add carrots(sliced thin or chopped) and corn and cook on low 6 hours. Take the lid off to let thicken for 1/2 hour. Ladle into oven safe bowls and place a refridgerated biscuit on top and cook at 350 til biscuit is done and you have homemade beef pot pies....You could also add frozen hashbrowns in the last 1/2 hour.

If you want instead you can make the instant potatoes and ladle the veggie and meat with gravy over those instead.

Defrost the mince and give it a good browning, add garlic and onions for a few minutes to soften.

Transfer to crock pot and degaze the pan, add a stock cube and pour over mince.

Peel and dice your carrots and add to pot with the corn.

Add more water to just cover.

You could add diced potatoes, but I think I would boil them and mash, to mop up the gravy.

I imagine it would take an hour, so just allow a little time to add some flour to thicken up.

What about a stew? Chop up the thawed hamburger into bite size squares and cook with water, chicken stock, salt/pepper with the corn, carrots & onion. Serve with the instant potatoes.

That is what my mum usually did whenever we had a lot of things like that but no idea on what to make.

Crock pots are designed for slow cooking -- like tough meats, that need to cook a long time to be tender. So, I think it's silly to cook what you have in a crock pot.

Why not use what you have for tonight, and next time you go to the store, get beans, or a chuck roast, and whatever, and use the pot for that?