I volunteer as tribute for any taste-testing that @doschicos needs!!!
If anyone is too busy to bake or its just not your thing, here are some ideas for food gifts you can order. I’ve either sent or received them and have been pleased with the quality and I’m picky about this stuff.
Loral’s Brownies http://loraliesbrownies.com the assortment of minis is very good
Engstrom’s Almond Toffee http://www.enstrom.com
Wow! There are some lucky kids out there! I wish I was getting some of these care packages! 
Groupon has an offer right now for 4 care packages from Pijon. Healthy snacks and beauty products plus seasonal surprises. Groupon has a 20% off offer right now so the 4 boxes are only $44 plus $8 shipping. I set it up to send 2 first semester and 2 second.
You can buy dry ice at lots of places. People buy it to make ‘smoky’ drinks at Halloween parties. I think liquor stores sell it.
My daughter definitely thinks BF’s mother babies him, and D will not be taking her place on that. Mom can keep sending the sauce and my daughter will eat it.
Now we did send a box to our kid every month while,she was in the PC. @MaineLonghorn these ideas might help you.
- Peanut butter.
- Ketchup and mustard packets. They are individual use and don't need to be refrigerated.
- New underwear every so often. Washing clothes is a little different there.
- Chapstick
- Deodorant
- Replacement short sleeve shirts.
- Spices and seasonings. Things like cinnamon, oregano, dried basil.
- Pudding mix (our kid could occasionally get milk and pudding was a treat)
- Rice Pilaf boxes
- Mac and cheese boxes. She liked the Velveeta ones best.
Now THESE care packages she loved!
Funny story. In two years only ONE box didn’t get to her. It was sent in spring 2011…and just never got there. It was things for her newly adopted kitty…flea collar, brush, nail cutter, toy mice, catnip…etc. well funny…about three months ago…guess what appeared at our door? That box. Yes…five years later…it showed up,back here…having been there…and sent back. God knows where it was for five years!
I’ve seen dry ice in the grocery stores here. That’s funny about the meatballs and sauce. My mother was Italian and never sent me anything like that.
Years ago I was dating a guy who was from Texas and his parents came up to visit for the holidays. His mom brought several trays of tamales. He was like, what? Why? Then the Seattle area got hit with two huge freak snowstorms and everything closed, no one could get anywhere for anything. They lived off those tamales for days.
^^^lol! That’s like the pets that find their owner’s years after getting lost, except with pet supplies. 5 years, seriously, that truly was snail mail.
I wish someone would bring me some tamales. Yum!
@Hoggirl That looks like a keeper recipe! Thanks so much.
@doschicos Excellent ideas. Thank you so much.
Keep the ideas and recipes coming!
(The summer D worked at a Boy Scout camp in NM, I sent her a case of snack sized Utz Crab Chips to remind her of home. She said people east of the Mississippi loved them, wanted more, etc. Those west of MI thought they were gross. LOL. That was one of her favorite care packages.) (I once sent her something from Cracker Barrel who, in addition to sending the items, also included a menu. Inspired her and some friends to drive well into Colorado to find a CB when she had her next break!)
My mom sent my daughter some homemade whoopie pies when she was at a summer program that had kids from around the country. My daughter was surprised to learn that most people didn’t know what a whoopie pie was. They were all converts though.