4 Mother’s Days Gifts for the Master Chef & a Giveaway

Congrats to our food processor giveaway winner – Courtney! Thanks to all who entered and happy cooking!

———————————————————————–

Mother’s Day is just around the corner and I’ve been chatting with my cooking group about which gifts and gadgets for the kitchen we’d most likely to wake up to on Mother’s Day morning. Whether it’s you, your mom or your mother-in-law who is amazing in the kitchen, take a peak at these 4 fun finds we found to celebrate everyone’s favorite chef. Plus a giveaway!

Magimix Food Processor – While the brand was new to me, it’s quickly become a well-known name in my house. “How did you make…?” It’s the Magimix!  This thing chops, grates, grinds, slices, mixes, blends, whips, beats, shreds and juices. In one machine. My favorite feature about it is that it comes with three bowl sizes. So if I’m mixing dough and need to chop nuts, I don’ t need to remove the ingredients and wash the bowl. I just throw in one of the other two bowls. It’s also extremely quiet, super fast, sleek and simple to use.

This week, I made a complete pie in it – pie crust mixed, strawberries sliced, cream whipped. I also shredded carrots, sliced potatoes, grated cheese, chopped salsa and whipped eggs. It comes with a mind-boggling 10 attachments including 2 blades, 2 slicing discs, 2 grating discs, a dough blade, egg whisk, spatula and blender mix attachment. (Keep in mind that while they do all come packaged in a nice compartment, you’ll need some storage space for them.) Plus there are all sorts of other fun additional attachments to choose from like the creative slicing disc and food masher/pureer as well as the juice extractor and smoothie attachment. I was able to try out this last one and made cup after cup of smooth, pulp-free juice from kale, apples, carrots, ginger and beets. The smoothie basket was a little tricky to clean and it isn’t a slow juicer like this one, but the quality and smoothness of the juice got rave reviews from my pint-sized testers.

I’ll be honest – I was never much a food processor person before, but here’s what I’ve discovered. There are all sorts of dishes I haven’t been making because they are a pain without this device! Coleslaw – easy. Chopping up dozens of veggies for appetizer – simple. Pies from scratch – done. Super thin potato slices for my husband’s fried potato dish he used to make when we were dating – double yes (delicious and husband is doing the cooking). Visit Williams-Sonoma to check out the Magimix 12-, 14-, or 16-cup Food Processor and let your culinary adventure begin! (Or scroll to the bottom to see how to win one!)

Le Creuset French Oven – Whether you are pulling out a gorgeously adorned pot roast or just trying to boil rice, every dish looks more delicious when served in a Le Creuset. Available in a variety of sizes and an amazing 15 colors – including their newest addition, Marseille blue – a Le Creuset French oven goes from stove top to oven to table in style.  Plus, 10% of any Le Creuset purchases in May will go towards Share Our Strength’s No Kid Hungry campaign – a win-win gift idea.

Vintage-Inspired Aprons – Just because you are covered in batter or splattered in grease, doesn’t mean you can’t look cute. On sale now at Sur La Table, I love these aprons not only because they are functional (clothes protected!) and affordable ($20-$24!), but they are so cute you’ll look all dressed up even if you’re sporting jeans and a tee underneath.

Heritage Hill Jar – I know what you might be thinking, A jar? But there’s something about a beautiful display that makes me want to cook. I received a similar jar from a friend a while back and every week I look forward to baking granola and filling up that jar. This beauty from Target is just begging for a place on a counter and to be filled with delectable cookies, delicious granola or some homemade biscotti. What better way to say thank you to your favorite chef than by letting her know her kitchen bounty is display-worthy. And at under $15, you’ll show you care without breaking the bank.

*GIVEAWAY* One lucky MWS reader will win a 12-cup Magimix Food Processor in Chrome and the Juice Extractor and Smoothie Attachment. A $430 value! A perfect gift to give or receive this Mother’s Day. (Feel free to forward this link often to your husband.) To enter, leave a comment to the following question:

What gadget tops your kitchen wishlist?

You can receive additional entries by 1) following MWS on Facebook, 2) following  MWS on Twitter or 3) following me on Twitter. Please leave a separate, additional comment for each extra entry. Entries must be received by Wednesday, May 9th at 11:59pm PST. Sorry, U.S. residents only and no PO Boxes.

——————————————————————————————————————-

Kate Bayless is a freelance writer and editor with bylines in Parents, American Baby, Parenting, Babble and Momtrends. Visit her at @katebayless or  www.katebayless.com.

MWS was not paid for this post. Some samples were provided for review. The opinions expressed are my own.