Serious Eats - seriouseats.com

Several moments ago I opened a box which arrived for my birthday and everything in it fits the bill for your question. I am totally thrilled! :)

Here's what was in it (each individually wrapped in colored tissue paper with ribbon to prolong the chase):

A box of Le Perruche Pure Cane Rough Cut Cubes
A box of Taylors of Harrogate Organic Peppermint Tea Sachets
A tin of Harney & Sons Chamomile Herbal Tea Sachets
A box of Mariage Freres Chandernagor Chai (I can smell this one even through the packaging and it is wonderful)
A round tin of Harrisons & Crosfield Fragrant Japanese Cherry Sencha Pyramind Silken Tea Sachets
Three gorgeous different-colored tiny round tins of Kusmi Tea with the names Anastasia; Troika; and Prince Vladimir
A box of Telia loose tea filters

and last but not least (though I can not figure out how it fits in exactly but it is funny and maybe useful) a book called

Real Food for Cats by Patti Delmonte - which has people recipes which are accompanied by adaptations of those by additions of this-or-that to make them nutritionally "right" for cats. Adorable illustrations.

I'll use the teas. Right away. :) And I don't think I'm going to stop smiling over this gift for at least several hours though undoubtedly if I go out I will look idiotic with a smile permanently pasted on face but so what else is new.

The book I'll read but will not use the cat recipes until my children have grown when I can then become an eccentric cat person.

A new food processor (thinking it will be a 14-cup rather than 16 cup)
One of those hydroponic indoor herb gardens
Cereal bowls for John (he's very specific about the dimensions)
Veganomicon by Isa Moskowitz

Cookbooks...cooking classes...new cake pans, loaf pas, muffin pans etc...a gift certificate to Williams Sonoma.

Cookbooks (although I'm specific about what I want, I have far too many books I'll never use because they were gifts) or a gift certificate to somewhere like Sur la Table.

If we're talking about a baker, vanilla beans would be a lovely gift.

I'm with Lilartist on the "no gadgets" thing. Maybe some people want a drawer full of cherry pitters, garlic smashers and avocado slicers, but my knife works just fine for me. I'd rather have something I can use for many tasks, like a silpat.

This year I'm asking for a food mill and a good mandolin slicer. I want to start experimenting with velvety soups and smooth mashed potatoes, and my expensive cheap Pampered Chef slicer (a gift) has foiled me for the last time.

I've also had that lovely orange KitchenAid stand mixer has been taunting me for years. If I ever get one I'm going to get it custom airbrushed a la Alton Brown.

I am asking for a pizza stone, another pair of tongs (1 is not enough), and a cookbook stand, so I can keep the book open to the page I want. If anyone has a recommendation for a stand, I'm all ears. Happy Holidays!

One item that's been on my giftie list perennially (but no one ever actually gets for me) is a gift card for Zingerman's--I actually live near them, and periodically go browse and drool, but usually can't afford to buy much. >sigh

Another item I'd love to get, but haven't put on my list because I have no room for it in my kitchen, is the above-mentioned, much-coveted KitchenAid stand mixer. >double sigh

Cautionary note on the book referenced above -- Real Food for Cats. Being a cat lover, I went straight Amazon to take a look and per the comments there many of the recipes for cats contain onion BUT onions are toxic to cats. Might want to knock that one off your shopping list for cat-loving foodies!
kjgibson at 3:42PM on 10/18/07

Your note surprised me as the friend that sent me this book is most cautious with his own cats in terms of health. So I went directly to the book and just looked through each recipe.

Onions are surprisingly vacant in this book - from even the people recipes where normally they would be used, but I did find two recipes that included onions, and on each of these recipes there was a note right on top of the recipe that the onions were "for human consumption only" and not to be included in the "kitty portion".

It's a very cat-focused book - if I were to make these recipes it would probably not be for my own tastes but more likely if I wanted a cat to sit at the table in her own chair with a bib on to dine with me.

As I said, I'll probably wait till I become a crazy little old lady to do that.
But it's fun to read these recipes now and imagine it all. :)

cooking classes would be AWESOME, but i live in the sticks. if i could find cooking classes around here, they would likely involve stewed 'possum :o! i concur that "gadgets" are not on the list. i use the same pans, utensils, appliances all the time. i should probably even toss 1/2 the stuff i have. also, i could use a couple more sets of glass bowls for my sunbeam mixers. lately, i have seen only plastic ones (blek!), so i have taken to hunting them at yard sales. no other bowls will do! this has been a therapeutic little exercise, now i am in the mood to start making a freezing all that dough, batter, chopped whatever that i will need in the next couple of months. thanks for helping me get 'psyched up!

All I want for Christmas this year is a Vita-Mix or a Blendtec blender...

to emily20008 - found your comment on the pyrex casserole for the no-knead more than interesting. that's what I have been using, but just this last weekend, found a cast iron/enameled "affordable" pot at Target. I hope that it works as well.

Saw a good book holder recently. Book can stand up or lay flat -it's on my Christmas wish list. And several new books just out. One by James Peterson that I want to look at before asking for it.

I usually wait for a while and buy books that I want from used book dealers.

I agree that many gadgets do get stranded by the wayside, but I did receive a handheld immersion blender for a gift one year, and it's been used countless times. Sooo much easier than transferring all that steaming hot stuff into a blender. And it doesn't have to be a pricey one!

Erinlovestoeat - I bought a plain metal cook book stand from Target & I love it.....I have a small magnet clip that I use with it to hold small recipes cut from magazines. I've also found that not only is it deep enough for a good size cook book, but also a magazine or 2 behind it!

Nothing stupid about a spice rack as long as it is not already labeled and filled with stupid things like parsley and dried onions!

I want enameled cast iron.. I would love it, and pet it, and feed it tasty stews...

Much to my mother's chagrin, I'm still single, so she's finally giving up her whole "I'll get you a Kitchen Aid Stand Mixer" or "You'll get flatware when you get a husband" stance and asking me what I want this year. I made her this list, so far:
Things I want
Kitchen-Aid mixer with meat grinder attachment
Juicer attachment for Cuisinart
fine grater blade for Cuisinart
Pairing knife (I got a Shun chef's knife earlier this year, may want to stick with Shun)
Serrated knife
Digital Kitchen Scale
Paul Smith Dog Collar for both dogs
immersion blender
food saver