San Fran Picnic + Japanese Potato Salad

San Fran Picnic + Japanese Potato Salad

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So since hubby is a pilot, he is gone very often on trips that usually last a week or two. That means our life is full of happy reunions and reasons to celebrate. This time when he came back from a particularly tiring trip I decided to throw a little picnic (for San Fran locals, details on where at the bottom of the post). My hubs works so hard and recently I've been especially proud because he received a couple of awards recognizing his hard work/performance, so I wanted to  make the picnic all about him. He loves good bread, cheese and charcuterie so we made a meal out of those and I just prepared sides. But far above anything else that he loves, my hubs has one main addiction in his life: Diet Coke. Or any variation of it. So I get really excited when they come out with their #ShareaCoke bottles that have proper names on them! Walmart always has the largest selection of these personalized 20 oz bottles and usually has these huge dump bins full of them where I'm always able to find a Justin. This time I stopped by a couple of Walmarts and they had them all organized in the coolers next to the registers, so make sure you check there too. Have you guys ever been able to find your own name?

Since my hubs grew up in Japan I am always trying to pick up new Japanese recipes. One that I love is Japanese potato salad. I am generally not a huge potato salad fan, there are only two that I like: my Momma's and Japanese ones. I think it's partially because I don't like mayonnaise but I like Japanese Kewpie mayo. So for our picnic I prepped this potato salad that I love and am sharing the recipe below. Hope you like it!

P.S. Check out this #ShareYourSummer hub for more ideas on how to share personalized Cokes with your favorite people. And check if they carry your name HERE!
All Walmarts carry the bottles, but there is also a list of the ones that have a larger selection HERE.

Japanese Potato Salad
Serves 2-3

• 400g potato, chopped (one medium potato)
• 2 Tbsp carrot, sliced
• 1/4 tsp sugar
• 1 tsp vinegar
• pepper
• 1/4 small cucumber, sliced
• 2 Tbsp diced ham
• 2 Tbsp corn 
• 4 Tbsp Kewpie mayonnaise
• salt
• pepper

Directions:

Sprinkle your cucumber slices with a bit of salt and mix to coat. Let sit for a few minutes until the salt has pulled the moisture out of the cucumbers. Squeeze excess water out with your hands then set aside. 

Place potato and carrot in a small pot and fill with water until the vegetables are covered. Then place a lid on the pot and bring to a boil over med-high heat. Boil until tender, then strain. Place the potatoes and carrots back into the pot and lightly shake the pot until the vegetables look powdery. Place in a clean mixing bowl.

Add the sugar, vinegar and 1/2 tsp salt, then gently mix. Then stir in your cucumber, ham, corn and mayonnaise until combined. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Recipe adapted from Cooking with Dog.

*If you're in San Fran and want to throw a picnic this is one of the best spots (in my humble opinion). It has an amazing view of the Golden Gate bridge, is like 20 feet from a beach, and the picnic tables are recently updated ones that look great. I believe it's called East Beach in Crissy Field. Just navigate to Jauss street and park at the far end of the parking lot. Don't be fooled by the sucky picnic tables in front of the bathrooms. The good ones are on the far side ;)