I sent the first (only?) round of care packages off this week, one has been received, the other hopefully tomorrow.
What made the cut:
Homemade:
– “Nutella” energy bites aka date, hazelnut, almond, and cocoa balls
– Magaj aka Besan laddoo aka bengal gram flour fudge – I was reminded that Diwali is only 2 weeks away, and this is the kids’ favorite sweet from our side of the family
– Badam Katri / Katli aka almond fudge – ditto, but other side
Other:
– Spicy peanuts, spicy peas, and chickpeas of several flavors, selected by other aunt
– Ramen selection curated by her
– BHEL! The #1 junk food request from BOTH kids! (paging bhel lover @gcaggiano – I found individual serving packs), plus extra chutney (because grandma said they’d need it)
– Freeze-dried idlis — who knew this even existed? (a friend of mine did, she ate them on a flight and made me track them down 
) + freeze-dried coconut chutney to accompany them, god forbid we leave out the appropriate CHUTNEY for anything 
– A few shelf-stable Indian entrees for him to test out (grandma is not convinced they will pass muster, but I think anything that tastes of home is better than cafeteria mush)
– A selection of hot sauces – chilli crisp, calabrian chile sauce, habanero sauce, Indian chili garlic, and spicy ketchup
– TJs spice mixes for the few meals they cook, or to stick in a backpack to boost the blah cafeteria food – spicy aglio olio, onion (& garlic) salt, everything bagel mix, & chives, elote seasoning, taco seasoning, and furikake
– Single-serve Indian instant coffee packets (another grandma accent)
– Fererro Rocher – because a little late night comfort chocolate never hurt anyone!
“These kids better be grateful,” I was thinking as I taped up the boxes, and yet as I was chatting with my own college roommate about it, we were pretty convinced that their reaction would be “oh yeah, of course my fam sent me this OTT box of stuff” 
But then I got a very sweet message this evening saying he had unpacked and examined EVERYTHING and THANK YOU, so 
(Also sent a steel-lined ramen / reheating bowl that’s microwave-safe and which I’m extra pleased with because it actually breaks down into 3 separate bowls and has cutlery too.)
