The ultimate grilled cheese and soup

As food begins to run low in your kitchen, what kind of person do you become? The kind who opens the fridge, sighs with disappointment, and heads to the nearest fast food restaurant, or the kind who is excited about making something unique out of such limited resources? I'd like to think I fall into the latter category. Every night is a Top Chef Quickfire challenge for me. You see my day job is totally void of any opportunities for creativity so when I come home, I pour myself a glass of red wine or mix up a quick Tanqueray and tonic, then I sit down and brainstorm. When the kitchen is stocked and the possibilities are endless, I feel almost overwhelmed by the choices. When the kitchen is bare, however, and I have only a few choice ingredients, my imagination, and not much else, that's when things really get interesting.

The only thing I knew for sure when I arrived home from work yesterday was that I wanted grilled cheese. I picked up a wedge of chipotle gouda earlier in the week and was chomping at the bit to, well, chomp it. I also had a can of tomato soup in the pantry that I thought about jazzing up but that didn't really feel challenging enough. The wheels began to turn once I saw the half a can of pumpkin puree I had left over from the pumpkin bread I had made for Thanksgiving. I also remembered that I had recently bought a sweet potato for no reason whatsoever. Perhaps when I picked it up in the store I subconsciously knew this glorious moment would present itself.

What followed was some serious makeshift cooking. Without a lot of the staples one might use to make soup - onions, celery, carrots - I decided just throw a bunch of shit in a pot and hope for the best. I knew the grilled cheese would be stellar but the soup was a bit of a gamble. After consuming the final product I have to say...the gamble paid off, and then some. There's no doubt in my mind that like my Kung Pao chicken, coconut lime tilapia, black bean cakes, and BBQ nachos, this dish is destined to become a classic in la cucina della Z.

Sweet Potato and Pumpkin Soup

-one sweet potato, cubed
-half a can of pumpkin puree (about 7 oz)
-three garlic cloves
-two cups of chicken broth
-salt and pepper to taste
-1 tablespoon of honey
-2 tablespoons of unsalted butter
-a pinch various spices (this is dependent entirely on taste):
--cumin
--nutmeg
--allspice
--cayenne

First peel the potato and cut it into cubes. Boil the potatoes in water until they are soft enough to mash. Drain the potatoes and transfer them back into the pot along with the pumpkin puree. Mix the potato and pumpkin together until well incorporated. Smash the garlic cloves and add them to the potato/pumpkin mixture. Keep the mixture over low heat and add the butter, honey, salt, pepper, and spices until everything tastes well-balanced. While mixing these ingredients, heat up the chicken broth. Once the broth is hot, whisk it into the potato/pumpkin mixture until smooth then remove the garlic cloves. Adjust seasonings accordingly, serve, and enjoy!