Good inspiration can be hard to find.  So much information out there, and yet it’s got to be just right.  Just what I need right now.  I found it in the Sublime Combination of Butter and Soy by Sam Sifton in the NYTimes.  “Try the mixture on warm white rice, a steaming pile of greens or an old sneaker — regardless, the taste is a sublime velvet of sweet and salty…  Soy butter provides warmth and luxury, elegance without pomp. It raises recipes to heights almost indescribable in the telling.”

It brings me back to childhood swim meets that would last all day.  My dad would send me with a Tupperware of pasta and chunks of hot dog lightly covered in soy sauce, butter, and garlic powder.  It was ten times better than the bagels and granola bars other kids were eating.

So I took the inspiration and ran with it.  I wanted to try the elements in my own way.

Both my attempts were disappointing. I think I was trying too hard.  Maybe you’ll do better.

The first was mushrooms and potatoes in thyme butter and soy. 
Rehydrated variety of dried mushrooms in boiling water
Mushroom and potatoes in butter and soy sauce
Fried a variety of fresh mushrooms in butter
+ thyme and white wine
+ a small amount of soy sauce
+ Mushroom water & chopped rehydrated mushrooms.
+ small diced red potatoes
Covered and let cook
Meanwhile made hardboiled eggs, peeled, and quartered.

The second was a chicken and rice pilaf in ginger soy and butter.
Fried onions, jalapeños, and a lot of ginger in a fair amount of butter.
+Chicken, soy sauce, and a little miso paste.
+Rice (I used a mix of white and red ride)
after letting the rice fry in the flavor I added the water and let it cook about 10 min.
+ Broccoli on top to steam until the rice was cooked (or in my case over cooked).
Finished it with a bunch of green onions.

It was good, but not sublime.
Maybe I should actually try the recipe.