If Therese's favorite appliance is her kitchen scale, mine is definitely my stand mixer. I use it most often for making pizza, but the homemade bread, pastries, turn-overs, and Chinese dumplings have let me make home-made convenience foods for less money and better nutrition than store-bought products. Icing and whipped cream stay much fluffier; meringues are a snap. The construction is solid and powerful.
The attachments connect right into the mixer proper, so you don't end up with a series of stand-alones. Options include a pasta roller/cutter, ice-cream maker, food mill, and more.
The biggest down-side to a stand mixer is the cost. I was lucky; the department store my wedding china came from offered a 5% gift card of the total registry purchases, so I paid less than $20 for Max the Mixer. But between Black Friday sales, Craigslist, and manufacturer rebates you might be able to score a deal.
Happy mixing!