turn on crock pot on high setting

melt butter in a frying pan. add steak, garlic, and seasonings. Brown but don't cook through. Remove from heat. dump into bottom of the crock pot.

cut all vegetables to roughly the same size (I do 1 inch pieces). add to crock pot.

add water until it covers the vegetables. some will float to the top.

cook on high for 4 hours. stir. then turn down to low and cook until ready to serve. season with salt and pepper to taste. serve hot with a pat of butter on top and bread to dip.

if you prefer a thicker, more stew like beef stew, make the potato chunks bigger and try to mash them up a bit in the crock pot one they've cooked soft. or you can add a few tablespoons of cornstarch to a quarter cup of cold water, mix until dissolved, and then add to stew. it will thicken it up a bit more like a gravy.