Peanut Butter and...

                                                                                                                                                                               Outfit photo by Joanne Garcia

                                             Romper: Zara (on sale now!) | Heels: Michael Kors (Similar here, here, and here) | 
                                             Necklace: Forever 21 (Similar here, here, and here) | Earrings: Rachel Roy 

          Pineapple! Yes, that’s right- PB&P, a peanut butter and pineapple sandwich. The juicy sweet pineapple with the salty creamy peanut butter is a combination you may initially side eye, but trust me, it’s definitely worth a try.

           Once upon a time, I'd open the refrigerator and there would be a big Tupperware container filled with slices or bite sized pieces of pineapple for my convenient enjoyment. Thanks, Mom! But what happens when I see the large fruit from the supermarket in all its green and yellow leafy glory? A little daunting I’d say. My mom taught me how to cut a pineapple in an efficient and non-wasteful way. 

            College days at UC Davis got extremely hot. One day, I went to the store to buy a pineapple to distract myself from the heat and to cool me down.  Remembering what my mom told me about how to pick a ripe pineapple- I picked one out that had just enough yellow, smelled sweet but not fermented, and one where the innermost leaf on the top came out fairly easily when gently pulled. I admit, it would have been much easier to buy the pre-sliced pineapple. However, as a poor college student I figured I would get the most bang for my buck by buying the entire pineapple and for some reason, the pre-sliced ones are just not as sweet or juicy.

            Once I got home, I set the pineapple on the counter hoping that if I stared at it long enough, it would poof into slices in Tupperware. No such luck. The most frustrating part about cutting a pineapple are the little brown circles that remain after you cut off the rind. Cutting deep enough to get rid of those circles means losing a lot of good fruit in the process. Here's how I cut it- after cutting off the rind, put the pineapple in the palm of one hand and use a knife to cut diagonally on either side of the circles at a shallow 45-degree angle, just enough to slice off diagonal rows of circles. Just keep rotating the pineapple over in your hand to make sure the pineapple is clean and ready to eat. I’m one of those people that like the core, so I keep it in there. Alas, the pineapple was ready to eat after about 5 minutes in the freezer to cool off.

           Back to the sandwich- in my typical peanut butter and jelly sandwich, I like a 2:1 ratio of J to PB because it keeps the sandwich moist and cold. I like the mouth feel of cold jelly on warm toasted bread with room temperature peanut butter. What better way to get that same cold sweetness than from a pineapple? I saw this recipe from @brewinghappiness and @thebananachronicles (both great Insta accounts and blogs to follow). I thought it would be the perfect cold, sweet, and juicy (not to mention, healthier) substitute for jelly. I was right!

            My love for pineapple inspired me to purchase this yellow JACQUARD Jumper from Zara. Although the fabric is very soft, the texture and subtle pattern on the romper reminds me of a pineapple rind. The Michael Kors snakeskin heels I paired with the romper also resembles a pineapple rind. The gold chain bib necklace from Forever 21 channels the shape and texture of a pineapple and its golden color reminds me of the summery fruit. Lastly, my spiked dangly threader Rachel Roy earrings take after the spikes on the rind as well as the green leaves atop the fruit.

           Eating fresh pineapple brings me memories of summer and happiness. Similarly, wearing this entire outfit lifts my spirits and allows me to dress in accordance with my mood and the season. The bright color along with the short cut of the romper can be a fun casual look with sandals or can be dressed up like I have done here by wearing heels. 

            Feel free to comment below to let me know how you like the PB&P combination, other good ways to cut a pineapple or any pineapple inspired outfits! [Not sure if this has ever happened to anyone else, but when you cut pineapple, does your tongue hurt in the way that it does when you eat too much pineapple? That happened to me when I made this sandwich. So weird!]