Care Package Ideas for Spring
Easter Care Package: We can't always celebrate holidays with the ones we love, but this springtime Easter-in-a-box care package will make your college kids feel loved. Plus, who doesn't love chocolate bunnies??
No Easter care package is complete without a chocolate bunny or two. Just be careful of weather and shipping dates, lest your See's bunny (pictured) or Godiva extravaganza melt during transit. Mail it Monday, so the package doesn't languish in the campus mail room and package it well, so the ears don't fall off. They'll still taste good; they just won't look as cute. (Find more care package mailing tips here.)
Whether it's kulich or hot cross buns, every family has its own special Easter traditions. You can't exactly ship a ham to the dorms - well, you could, but it's much easier to mail baked goods. Need inspiration? You'll find recipes for classic hot cross buns (pictured) on About.com's British cooking site, Russian kulich on the Eastern European cooking page, and Greek Easter bread on About's Greek cooking page.
Baked goods are the most popular addition to a care package, so be sure to include something fun. It's spring, so you can do the Girl Scout cookie thing, but home made cookies, muffins or quick breads are always well-received. And these lemony, chocolate-laced banana muffins travel well. They're a snap to make, and work equally well as mini-loaves, muffins or mini-muffins. Tuck in some Easter napkins too.More »
By spring, any fascination dorm food once held is long gone - if it ever existed. So tucking a bag of homemade granola into that care package provides a sweet alternative to breakfast cereal or late-night study breaks. It's easy to make and infinitely customizable, with the addition of dried cranberries or apricots, and chocolate, peanut butter or butterscotch chips. Don't want to bake? Hit the bulk section of your supermarket and mix your own, blending textures with sweet, salty and tart flavors.More »
An iTunes gift card is always great care package fodder. But you could also burn a springtime mix CD. If you're looking at rock, rap or anything similar, I'd go for the gift card. Your kid has probably already downloaded everything, and the idea of you poking around his turf may be horrifying. ("My mom thought I like Miley Cyrus??") However, many of us have classical music lovers too. In that case, try Stravinsky's "Rite of Spring," Orff's "Carmina Burana" (which is all about rites of spring), and Copland's "Appalachian Spring." Jazz? Clifford Brown's "Joy Spring," Kristin Korb's "They Say It's Spring" or Freddie Hubbard's version of "Up Jumped Spring." Musicals? "Spring Awakening," starring Lea Michelle of "Glee" fame." Or, a gift card.
1. Chocolate Bunnies
No Easter care package is complete without a chocolate bunny or two. Just be careful of weather and shipping dates, lest your See's bunny (pictured) or Godiva extravaganza melt during transit. Mail it Monday, so the package doesn't languish in the campus mail room and package it well, so the ears don't fall off. They'll still taste good; they just won't look as cute. (Find more care package mailing tips here.)
2. Easter Breads
Whether it's kulich or hot cross buns, every family has its own special Easter traditions. You can't exactly ship a ham to the dorms - well, you could, but it's much easier to mail baked goods. Need inspiration? You'll find recipes for classic hot cross buns (pictured) on About.com's British cooking site, Russian kulich on the Eastern European cooking page, and Greek Easter bread on About's Greek cooking page.
3. Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins
Baked goods are the most popular addition to a care package, so be sure to include something fun. It's spring, so you can do the Girl Scout cookie thing, but home made cookies, muffins or quick breads are always well-received. And these lemony, chocolate-laced banana muffins travel well. They're a snap to make, and work equally well as mini-loaves, muffins or mini-muffins. Tuck in some Easter napkins too.More »
4. Crunchy Homemade Granola
By spring, any fascination dorm food once held is long gone - if it ever existed. So tucking a bag of homemade granola into that care package provides a sweet alternative to breakfast cereal or late-night study breaks. It's easy to make and infinitely customizable, with the addition of dried cranberries or apricots, and chocolate, peanut butter or butterscotch chips. Don't want to bake? Hit the bulk section of your supermarket and mix your own, blending textures with sweet, salty and tart flavors.More »
5. iTunes Gift Card or a Mix CD
An iTunes gift card is always great care package fodder. But you could also burn a springtime mix CD. If you're looking at rock, rap or anything similar, I'd go for the gift card. Your kid has probably already downloaded everything, and the idea of you poking around his turf may be horrifying. ("My mom thought I like Miley Cyrus??") However, many of us have classical music lovers too. In that case, try Stravinsky's "Rite of Spring," Orff's "Carmina Burana" (which is all about rites of spring), and Copland's "Appalachian Spring." Jazz? Clifford Brown's "Joy Spring," Kristin Korb's "They Say It's Spring" or Freddie Hubbard's version of "Up Jumped Spring." Musicals? "Spring Awakening," starring Lea Michelle of "Glee" fame." Or, a gift card.
