Derek was on a mission tonight- to pan sear our steaks the Alton Brown way. No, the pictures are not washed out. They accurately display the smoke of a newly seasoned iron skillet on unimaginably high heat, with tenderly rubbed steaks added. Derek eventually had to roll in our industrial strength air cleaner and turn all of the fans on maximum to clear the air. Yet the wisdom of that much venerated food guru led to very tender steaks. The searing brought the combination of sea salt and peppercorns to a sweet, aromatic crust that needed no steak sauce, only a few sauteed mushrooms. Meals as meaty as this used to be rare in our house, that is until I got pregnant. I still eat and crave a great amount of fresh fruits and veggies, but I cannot skimp on the meat anymore. I'd like to give a shout out to my home-skillets Jason and Heather for giving Derek his much-thumbed Alton Brown book for his birthday. I'm Just Here For The Food is a hit, and a smoke.