I will admit that I am a Betty Crocker, but I love my Kitchen Aid. My DH got it for me as a gift. I bake a lot, so it gets used every week.
I also have a really good set of pans by Emeril. They are copper bottom and cook very evenly. here's link to what I have.
Amazon.com: Emerilware Stainless Steel 10 Piece Cookware Set: Kitchen & Dining
These pans are the sizes that would cover anything you might want to cook. There are plenty of other makers of these kinds of pans, so it is not necessary to spend this much money. We happened to find ours for $120.00 or other wise I probably wouldn't have it.
I don't use a food processor because I like to chop my veggies and by the time I would use the processor and get it cleaned I could have chopped my veggies. I do recommend a good thick chopping board about 16x 24 or so. Big enough to have room to chop without it all falling off the sides.
You need a really good knife for chopping and one for dicing small stuff. I have these which again are expensive, but it's the sizes you're looking for, not this exact brand. Good knives stay sharp. Cheap knives will dull quickly and you'll hate using them. They should be sharp enough to slice a tomato easily.
Amazon.com: Pure Komachi by Kai 4-Piece Stainless-Steel Knife Set: Kitchen & Dining
I use my crockpot/slow cooker every week. Put something in it in the morning and not have to worry with it all day. Dinner is ready later.
Other little stuff you need are measuring cups, measuring spoons, a strainer or colander. A stainless mixing bowl which is so useful for mixing and sifting, or holding foods.
You can get a set of baking pans this time of year that are usually under $10.
Cookbooks:
The Good Housekeeping Illustrated cookbook: Shows you how to do things that other books don't. I love this book. explains hwo to do things and why.Simple and easy to understand. Less than $3 used on Amazon. This and my 1950's Betty Crocker are the two that never get put back on the shelf. I use them all the time.