One of the joys of having teens in the house is that I can embarass them by adopting their phraseology and use it indiscriminately against them. Ideally, this is at a track meet in front of their friends, but in this case I will settle for the small world of the Internet.
For those of you who aren't aware of what "pimping" has become, it's when you take a possession and stylize it lavishly and unconventionally. For instance, I saw an ad for a company that sells colorful slipcovers for tanning beds with many different themes of decoration using the slogan, "Pimp Your Bed." Generally, the designs were over the top, which is also a characteristic of "pimping" something.
If you were a consistent reader of The Everyday Eater, you'll know that I'm all for realistically dealing with food and our eating. Sometimes, we'll be in "perfection" mode and eat to the best of our knowlege. Sometimes, we'll go to the other extreme and throw nutrition and any respect for what it does for our bodies out the window. And most times, we're between the extremes. So, I'm a big fan of tweaking what you're eating to supercharge--or, colloquially, pimping--your food.
Here are 35 great ways to pimp your soup or sauce, whether you're starting with Campbell's® or homemade. Consider adding them right before eating, but if you prefer flavors to blend this is definitely one of those times that, Anything worth doing is worth doing poorly if not well. Add one or more as a garnish. By doing this, you will be exposing yourself to phytonutrients, vitamins, minerals, and/or more that wouldn't otherwise be there. Of course, the more you add, the more your cells will smile!
What about you? How do you pimp your soup, sauce, or other food?