I have gotten a couple of emails lately asking for gift suggestions for someone who has been recently diagnosed gluten free.
The first thing that any Gluten Free Mom wants is a healthy kid!
Beyond that, I thought I'd share some of my favorite things that help with our gluten free lifestyle. I believe that less is more, but there are definately some kitchen appliances that make my life easier!
Gluten Free in the Kitchen - My Five Favorite Things
1. KitchenAid Artisan Series 5-Quart Mixer
You might of thought a bread machine would be first but I love my mixer! I use it constantly to make everything from pumpkin bars to mashed potatoes. It also come with attachments 
that are wonderful at shredding cheese or making hash brown potatoes. My favorite kitchen appliance that simple makes my life easier! Through December 31, get $50 back plus a 2-year subscription to Food & Wine or Travel + Leisure when you purchase a KitchenAid 6-Quart Professional 600 bowl-lift stand mixer with a mail-in rebate available at Amazon's Buyer's Guide - KitchenAid Stand Mixer
.
2. Zojirushi BB-CEC20 Home Bakery Supreme 2-Pound-Loaf Breadmaker
The best bread machine for gluten free bread with a programmable cycle to set for gluten free bread. In fact, BreadInfo.com tested this bread machine by preparing several types of bread in it. They say it does a good job making white bread and bread dough, but they're particularly impressed with its ability to produce "remarkably high-quality" gluten-free bread.
For a detailed guide to making gluten free bread in a bread machine, I recommend Annalise G. Roberts book Gluten-Free Baking Classics for the Bread Machine
. It has everything from great recipes, specific directions on how to set your bread machine and tips for when things just don't go right (and they will not go right at times, it is almost guaranteed so use that bread for bread crumbs!).
3. Cuisinart "Mini-prep Plus" Mini Food Processor
I love, love, love this mini-food processor. It makes chopping onions, mincing garlic, slicing celery a breeze! It is such a time saver. Makes dishes like Chicken and Noodle Soup a breeze to whip up!
4. Stainless Steel Scraper/Chopper
For the gluten free baker, this is wonderful at slicing up calzones or scones, also great for scrapping the vegetables from the chopping board to the pot.
5. Presto Pizzazz Pizza Oven
This is the splurge appliance - yes, you can easily survive without your own pizza oven but I love this little pizza cooker. It makes cooking your own gluten free pizza fun and produces a nice crispy crust. It is also great for toasting gluten free bread sticks. So put a little fun in your gluten free kitchen.
6. Cup-A-Cake Cupcake Holder
I had to add one bonus item - the Cup-A-Cake cupcake holder. If you are gluten free, chances are you will go somewhere that you want to take your own gluten free breakfast muffin or, if you have a kid, your own gluten free cup cake holder. This makes transporting gluten free muffins and cupcakes a breeze! Just pop it in - there are little brackets that hold the cupcake in place so it can arrive with frosting still on top! Dish washing machine friendly.
I have linked these suggestions to Amazon.com because I simply love Amazon! Often times I can order something and it is on my doorstep before I even had the chance to schedule a trip to the store on my calendar. So take advantage of the great savings at Amazon and give yourself a little break by shopping at home!
