Gift Guide: The Spendy Gifts

If you're looking for a gift that's a tad more expensive, I've got your list right here. They're not all mortgage-busters, but they're beyond stocking stuffers.

Camp Chef Pizza Oven

If you're a pizza guru, you know that a home oven isn't the ideal way to cook pizza. So maybe what you need is an outdoor propane-fired pizza oven. Yup, maybe it's exactly what you need! Oh wait. This is a gift guide. So , yeah, ask Santa to bring this.

There are also models that fit on top of certain gas grill models, but the propane one is for sure the most versatile, since you can be making pizza while you're grilling burgers on the grill.

Vitamix

It's not just a blender, it's a BLEEEEENNNNNDERR RRR RRR. I've owned a lot of different blenders over the years, and I've killed quite a few of them. Others, I just stopped using because the blends were so chunky. The Vitamix blends things so much smoother. Waaaaay smooth. It's not as loud as my previous blender. And it's built to last. 

There are a bunch of different models with different features, so shop before you splurge. And there are add-ons, like the dry blender jar that's used for grinding grain into flour or kneading dough.

Oh, and it comes with a rather impressive hardcover cookbook. Let the blending begin!

Ninja Coffee Bar

The Ninja Coffee Bar is simple ... yet it has a whole lot of options. You can brew one cup or a carafe. You can brew different strengths and types of brews. can let it keep the coffee warm or not with the glass carafe - the model with the insulated carafe doesn't need a warming plate. There's a drip catcher. You don't need to use coffee filter, but you can if you want to.

Yet, it's simple enough to operate without needing to study a whole lot before turning it on. And, you can brew your own coffee. No pods or packets or thingies required.

Kitchenaid Spiralizer Attachment

Spiralizing is fun. Hand-cranking a spiralizer is not a whole lot of fun if you have a lot of vegetables to cut. The Kitchenaid attachment puts a motor behind it. The attachment spiralizes, slices and peels, so you can use it for preparing apple pies or peeling a whole box of ... uh, whatever you want to peel.

Even if the trendiness of spiralizing fades, this will still be useful for peeling and slicing.

Breville Smart Scoop Ice Cream Maker

I've had this for a few years now. It comes out of storage when weather is warm and gets stored when weather gets cool. Yes, it's large, but it's got its own compressor, so I can make several different ice creams in one day. It has settings for different sorts of frozen goodies, and a keep-chilled feature that will keep the ice cream cold after the time is up - just in case you won't be nearby to transfer the ice cream to the freezer.

Repast Supply Ravioli Pin

A work of art as much as a functional tool, this makes ravioli production much easier. You just spread the filling between sheets of pasta, and roll. The pin squishes the filling into place and seals the outsides. Then you just cut them apart. I was skeptical that it would work, but I was quite impressed.

I see that there's also a metal model on the website now, if you're not fond of wood.

Ninja Cooking System

Okay, it's a slow cooker, but it also has a browning setting so I can brown food first, before slow cooking. It has a nonstick interior that's still non-sticking after several years of use, and a bunch of settings for stovetop, keep warm, timing, and other handy things.

There are newer models than the one I have, with features I haven't tried. But I haven't worn mine out yet, so I can't tell ya about those.