Today was a strange day for me. After several weeks with a house full of family members and all the hustle and bustle, I was at home alone today for the first time in eight years.
Eight years ago, I decided to leave my job in the corporate world to stay home with my youngest son when he was born, and shortly thereafter, my mother and father-in-law moved in with our family. The past eight years have flown by and I feel like I’ve been in a time warp.
With the passing of my father-in-law last week, and now the return to work and school for everyone except for me, it will be strangely quiet during the day for the next few months until school lets out. Perhaps this is foretelling of what it will be like over the next three years, as my oldest graduates this year from high school, and the twins leave home in three more years. All I can say is that I am so grateful that I still have a little one who will be home for a while.
Now that things are quieter, one thing I do plan on doing is getting back in the kitchen to cook for fun. I feel as if I haven’t really cooked in a while as so many generous friends and neighbors brought dinners over this past week. Now that our family is trying to return to some state of normalcy, I will be returning to the kitchen to do what I love. Although it might sound odd to some people, I find cooking alone in my kitchen to be therapeutic and relaxing. It’s as if I’m in my own world, where I can create almost anything I can imagine. Sometimes, I feel like I’m back in the chemistry lab, experimenting with different ratios and ingredients.
One of the dishes I haven’t made in a long time is Miso Glazed Salmon. Somehow I was craving this sweet and salty combination, but I also wanted a bowl of comfort soup to go along with it. I decided this Miso Glazed Salmon would go perfectly with a nice hot bowl of Soba Noodle Soup, perfect for a hearty lunch or light dinner.
Easy Honey Miso Glazed Salmon
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| The Honey Miso Glaze Combines Sweet and Salty Flavors, Perfect For Rich Tasting Salmon |
Printable Recipe
1 tablespoon miso
2 teaspoons honey
1 teaspoon mirin
1/2 teaspoon ginger, minced
1/3 pound salmon fillet
Mix miso, honey, mirin and ginger together. Spread on top of salmon fillet. Marinade overnight or if you’re in a hurry, broil immediately until just cooked through. My salmon fillet was quite thin, so it only took about 6 minutes to cook; however if you use a thicker piece of fish, you will need to cook it longer.
Serves 2.
Soba Noodle Soup with Honey Miso Glazed Salmon
Printable Recipe
3 cups dashi
2 tablespoons miso
2 handfuls bok choy, cut up
2 shitake mushrooms, cut up
1 bunch soba noodles, cooked
1/3 pound Honey Miso Glazed Salmon
minced scallion, for garnish
toasted sesame seeds, for garnish
Heat dashi in a small saucepan. Stir in miso and bring to a boil. Add bok choy and mushrooms. Cook about 2 minutes or until just cooked.
To serve, place soba noodles in a bowl, top with bok choy and mushrooms and ladle miso soup on top. Gently place broiled Honey Miso Salmon on top. Sprinkle with scallion and sesame seeds.
Serves 2.
My itty bitty is almost 3 and I am already having bouts of anxiety over having an empty nest someday. I can't imagine how different my days will be once he starts school. I'm going to miss his company. This has been my life for three years, him and I until daddy gets home. I too cook for myself while itty bitty naps. I'll make an extra special lunch if the morning had been a bit of a hair raiser. This would be perfect for a day like today, haha! Yummy!
I agree, an extra special lunch is sometimes the best way to treat yourself since breakfast and dinner can be a bit hectic with kids.
The miso-glazed salmon sounds wonderful. I'm not sure why, but I haven't cooked much with miso but I do want to start using it more.
I love soba noodle soup. Beautiful!
I first started making miso glazed fish when it because popular at fancy Japanese restaurants. I haven't made it in a while, so when I did it reminded me of why I love this dish so much. Miso is a nice addition to soups, stews and marinades. It adds a depth of flavor and saltiness to dishes.
This looks so wonderful, definitely bookmarking it. Hope you enjoy your quiet time back in the kitchen – cooking can be so therapeutic.
Thanks Mary Anne and Mariel. I just had the rest of this for lunch today.