Kneads and Wants on Our Christmas Lists

We consider ourselves very fortunate to eat and drink for a living - and that about covers our "kneads." Wants? Given that we love all things culinary, it didn't take long for us to compile a wish list to set out on Santa's cookie plate. Elves, have at it, and thanks!

• Gretchen's black lab Pepper chewed up her garlic peeler thus procuring a new one tops her list. A lemon zester would pair nicely with it (and lemon is really good at removing any wayward garlic scent off your hands).
• Nicole pines for a cook's herb wreath, fragrant with bay leaf, sage, rosemary and oregano and handmade on a California farm. She hopes the aromatic find at Williams-Sonoma will lead to some culinary inspirations.
• Amy keeps news moving out to the media and feels a stalwart KitchenAid five-quart stand mixer will help her keep a handle on 325 watts of powerful churning at home.
• Suong is rapping about this "99 Bottles" growler jug from West Elm. She may have 99 problems figuring out which beer to fill this 64-oz. bottle up with first, but finishing it off ain't one. 
• Emily craves a copy of "The New Classics," the latest from Australian cookbook author Donna Hay. Simple, well-defined recipes and mouthwatering photography make this book a constant companion, both in the kitchen and for conducting culinary research in a cozy armchair.
• Something warm and dry, hints Mandy. Specifically, the Excalibur nine-tray dehydrator at The Cook's Warehouse so she can preserve the veggies from her garden and dry up some healthy homemade fruit snacks for her household.
• "Chop, chop!" says Brooks, who would love a food processor to do just that, along with other kitchen counter talents.
• Tuan can guzzle some tea, and he prefers the loose-leaf varieties. To corral his leaves, he is enthused about the clever infusers at BoredPanda. We want to know what kind of tea the designers were sipping when they came up with the Tea.Tanic, the Deep Tea Diver, the Robot Infuser and Mr. Tea, who considers your mug a hot tub.
• Brandon is always working to improve his core with the office apple corer and slicer. Now he's getting bold and asking for one for home because they make preparing and eating an apple so darn fun.
• Melissa wants to stay as warm as pizza fresh from a hot oven. She's dreaming about a toasty pizza slice sleeping bag that might do the trick as she rests her head on broccoli, mushroom and pepperoni-shaped pillows.
• Georgia Tech student Linda puts in a request for gift cards to the city's best restaurants so she can try them out on her college student-sized budget!

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Gerry Klaskala is Celebrity Chef at Naples Winter Wine Festival and Benefit