Spring Break 2K7

So I was listening to my iTunes on shuffle and NO JOKE, as soon as I typed in the title, "Spring Break 2K7," good ole Frank just had to sound off...
"Tall and tan and young and lovely/ the girl from Ipanema goes walking/ and when she passes each one she passes goes ahhhhhh..."

Oh, Sinatra, how you knew how to coin the allure of the beach beauty...

It was an appropriate musical interlude to my past weekend spent spring breaking by the beach. Inspired by the thoughts of sexy Ph.D. candidates sand and sun, my girls and I staged the 9-5ers weekend version of spring break at the closest locale to Ipanema we could manage: Santa Barbara. Ok, truth be told, the real reason for the coming together of good people was a dear friend of mine's engagement soiree, but given the nature of being in the singles crowd in such a party situation, we decided on an under-arching theme: "Spring Break 2k7, High-Low Edition" [cheap champagne at the beach-front condo is classique]. Despite the failure of said students to materialize, there were some seriously epic food moments, notably in the subject of kabobs.

One word: pineapple. I've seen it used with kabobs before, but never really understood the importance of THE key ingredient to the most amazing chicken kabobs you will ever grill. And I've made many a kabob in my day, but never has the success of one so clearly been achieved as when the addition of pineapple is had. Whatever chemical reaction occurs when you grill red onions, chicken, bell peppers and zucchini on a stick, sandwiched between thick slices of yellow pineapple, and sprinkled with a generous layer of salt and pepper, I don't know. But the end result is unbelievable. The chicken oozes with perfection, and the veggies take on a supple, grilled-ness (light char, slight crunch on the outside, perfectly cooked in the middle) I was previously unaware could exist.

Just make sure you soak your wooden skewers in water for 30 min. prior to adding the goods, otherwise the little wood sticks burn to a crisp.