Monday, December 15, 2008

A Few of My Favorite Things... (1)

I wish I could make like Oprah and give away all of my new, fancy, favorite things to each of you readers, making you cry and scream with excitement like her audience does on her yearly "Favorite Things" show. But alas, I cannot -- not in this economy. In fact, even Oprah had a scaled-down version this year.

So you get a list -- a list of my most favorite gluten-free (okay, and a few that have nothing to do with being gluten-free) gifts for those GFers and health conscious people in your life.

First, I present to you the blender of all blenders; a kitchen tool that Chuck Norris would be if Chuck Norris had to be a kitchen tool: The Vitamix Super 5200


I got an early Christmas present this year from the A-man. He knows we are going to be traveling for much of our Christmas vacation, so he knew I wouldn't be able to "play" with my Christmas present, so he wanted me to open it early. So I did. Last night. And I almost fainted with excitement.

The Vitamix blender is especially good for people with gluten-intolerance because it comes with a "dry blade" which lets you make your own flour! From whole grains! So, I put some raw, whole brown rice into the blender and blended on high for awhile, and out comes flour! I can't wait to try it with millet and sorghrum and tapioca and...

You get the idea. This is also great for people who don't do dairy -- this thing will whip up almost anything you put in it to a creamy-like consistencty. And, if you're a nut-butter lover like me -- you can make your own peanut butter (and cashew, macadamia nut, hazlenut...)! I've only scratched the surface of what this thing can do (after all, I got it last night) but I can't wait to play with it even more. The A-man wants me to keep a tally on my blog of each time I use it and how much money he thinks we'll save over the years grinding our own flour (this is so he can feel okay about spending the amount of money he did on it; let's just say it's an investement). And I can't forget smoothies; the A-man's big on his protein and I have a feeling this thing could turn a steak into a drink. So I'm on to you A-man; it's one of those gifts you give to someone so that you can use it too -- steak smoothies -- I knew it!

On tomorrow's favorite things post: tea for all.

6 comments:

Jen said...

Oh my gosh, STEAK SMOOTHIES!!!! hahahahahahahaha too funny. This piece of machinery sounds absolutely wonderful!!

Anonymous said...

What a fantastic gift! I've been yearning for a Vitamix for a few years now but just couldn't afford it. You're so lucky (and pretty lucky to have such a sweet A-man, too!) :)

Liz said...

Hehehee; I really think he would do it Jenny. The man needs his protein!

I am so lucky Ricki! I didn't know he actually listens to me when I talk about cool kitchen gadgets. ;)

Kate said...

Woo hoo! I adore my VitaMix. It is great for making soups, sauces, baby food and all sorts of other stuff. And you'll find it's super easy to clean -- just give it a quick rinse, fill it with water halfway, add a few drops of soap and run it. Then rinse again and you're done. That might be my favorite thing about it, that gets me dragging it out from under the counter day after day.

Unknown said...

That post was hilarious. I was laughing out loud while reading it to my husband. I also have an A-Man--my three year old son who is gf/cf. I just ordered a Vita-Mix and I was doing research on it for a post and stumbled on your blog. Thanks for all the info!

Tiffany said...

My dad has an older vitamix, it is simply amazing!! It can't do the flour, though. What an awesome new toy!!