Christmas Wish List: If I had room in my kitchen, if I had unlimited money, if I had a huge house to decorate

On my wedding registry, I asked for a lot of nice kitchen stuff.  I have an excellent stand mixer, a large food processor, a panini maker, a toaster oven, all-clad pots and pans, and tons of fun gadgets that I think make my life better.  I would still cook and tackle all the kitchen duties without said gadgets and equipment, but a lot of the equipment and tools make it much more fun...and some of them make it easier.  Here is a list of some "nice to have" things that perhaps you want to gift to yourself or to others during this holiday season.

Fun Wish List

Slow cooker - I have been borrowing this one from girlfriend in order to have on hand for a few events...and I really really like it.  For some reason on amazon it got a really varied series of reviews, but on cooking.com it got excellent reviews...I'm thinking of getting one myself.  HUSBAND....if you read this, I like THIS!



Stemless Wine Glasses - if you come to my house and open a bottle of wine, I am most likely to serve it to you in either a coffee mug or a whiskey glass.  I have stemmed wine glasses (very nice ones) but I do not use them because of my incredible sense of how to shatter them.  I've cracked more than a few and have basically decapitated a couple more (taking the glass clear off of the stem) and so for my personal safety and the safety of others I don't bust them out.  Most recently at a dinner party, when one of my guests asked for a glass of wine, I offered him a coffee mug and he looked at me like I was crazy.  I had to go back and offer it to him in a whiskey glass and as I poured it I saw him walking away shaking his head.  I'm definitely going to get myself a set of these in the near immediate future - if only to prevent people from looking at me like I'm insane.


Stand Mixer - I've had one for almost 15 years and I love it still.  It works great and although I've considered upgrading to one with a bigger bowl, bigger motor and flashier color (why do I sound like I'm talking about a car?) I've kept mine because it is such a great work horse.


























Hand Mixer - if you don't have a ton of room, don't bake all that much and have no place to store a stand mixer, a hand mixer does the job just as well, as long as you put in a bit of your own elbow grease in there.  This one is a sassy red and I can't say no to sassy red.  It's 7 speed and beautiful.  (hmm...sounds like I'm talking about a car again.)












Hand Blender - I made soup for the dinner party today and one girlfriend commented on how she wanted a hand blender so that she could make the soup.  (Thai Carrot Soup).  This particular model boasts one of the more powerful motors out there and also comes in a sassy red color (but it is more money than the white and it doesn't blend any better.)


Stainless Steel Mixing Bowls - there is nothing like a great set of mixing bowls to make you feel like a pro-chef.  I've had this set for 10 years and I still whip them out dail, and they still look amazing.  They are the perfect sizes, perfect shape, have a lovely dripless edge and just make my world a happier place.  In fact, I could use another set of these.  HUSBAND - I want this!


Pie Dish - you say you want some pie?   I suggest giving this pie plate to someone who can bake you one.  This pie dish creates a beautiful crust, helps you make a perfect fluted edge and has a beautiful heft and weight that make it easy to serve this on the table.  I have one given to me by a good friend and I use it every opportunity I get.  I love this red as it is so festive, so I'm thinking that another one of these might not be such a bad addition to my kitchen.


Square Baker - What...you say you want some hot crab dip?  Buy someone one of these and print out a recipe and see if they won't make it for you - if only to thank you for this gorgeous green dish



All Clad Pots - A very loving and kind Aunt and Uncle of Husband decided to gift us with these pots and pans when we married.  They are nearing 10 years old and they are beautiful and gorgeous still.  I've even managed to burn and scorch a baby bottle in one, drop it on concrete and dent the side, but still gorgeous gorgeous gorgeous.  I'd buy this set over again if I had to....















Williams-Sonoma has 20% off of their cookware as well.  (link here.)  I think the deal is probably better at amazon, but Williams-Sonoma has a lot of exclusives.

Gold Touch Baking Pans (muffin, cupcakes, 9X13, 9X9, round pans)  from Williams-Sonoma (link here)  These are my favorite baking pans.  Sister in law bought me a brand new collection two years ago and I haven't looked back.  I've slowly added to my collection with the mini cupcake pan and a 9X9 baking pan.  I'm looking to add another 9X13 pan and a set of standard muffin tins to my collection.  You can't have too many of these and the sizes and quality of these just go a long way in your kitchen.  They aren't cheap, but they do go a looooooooong way in your kitchen.  The even baking, excellent release, and beautiful shapes all make these pans a winner!


Cake Plate - I have loved this cake plate from afar for a long while now.  I love the shape, it photographs beautiful and cupcakes and treats look simply gorgeous and elegant on it.  Shoot - you could put a couple pieces of toast on this plate and it would make the toast look like you'd flown it in from France, air express.  I haven't gotten it yet (the price is a bit steep for me right now) but have thought of purchasing it after I make $200 a month on my blog. :)  (Link here.)

Mangowood Salad Bowl and Servers - I received this as a gift last year (thanks JY!) and I LOVE IT!  I throw a bunch of fruit in there and leave it as a centerpiece many times.  (right now it is filled with tangerines and tiny yummy apples)  Every salad I make in it looks more appetizing and I have to say that is really is one of my favorite kitchen serving plates.... (Link here.)

Stocking Stuffers

Spatulas - I can never have enough of these...it is one of the items I pick up in various colors.  I use them and eventually I do something obnoxious with it like burning the handle, or my favorite trick is snapping the handle off when I balance it on the edge of my stand mixer....the spatula falls in and somehow gets tangled in the blade and then snaps in half....which means I can always use a few more of them.  I love Le Creuset's size and color.


Whisk - if you're making mochi cakes on a regular basis, OR you want someone to make a lot of mochi cakes for you...well then you need to give one of these bad boys as a present.


Scoops or Dishers - I use my set all the time...if I'm not scooping mini muffins or cupcakes, I'm scooping cookie dough.  It just makes things that much easier to do in the kitchen.














Cookbooks that are great to own

Tyler Florence Family Meals - I have a profound appreciation for his philosophy on feeding others and how much he wants to remind people of the benefits of cooking your own food.  The pictures are gorgeous and the recipes can all be simplified (like I do to some of them on my blog.)  He is pretty darn cute in the book as well in his photographs and it's a nice one for anyone's book shelf.














The Cake Book by Tish Boyle - Definitely one of my favorite cake books, due to the range covered in this book.  From simple to super complicated all the recipes are scrumptious.














All Cakes Considered by Melissa Gray - Melissa Gray baked every weekend for her friends and coworkers at NPR and this is a chronicle of those recipes she made and the reactions received.  There are lots of helpful hints to help you avoid pitfalls and just funny anecdotes to accompany each cake.