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Penzey's Spices (www.penzeys.com) recommends replacing every 6 months. And the nice thing about them is that they don't charge a premium for buying smaller quantities. (If you've never used their spices, you should try 'em. They don't use fillers and so the flavors are more concentrated.)

Thank you everyone! Love the makansutra guide. Will def pick one up for them.

Oh and is there anything that a Texan/American would have difficulty getting there that should maybe be included in a care package?

Spaghetti eis--Italian vanilla ice cream pressed through a potato ricer to look like spaghetti, topped with strawberry sauce to look like marinara, garnished with slivered almonds for parmesan.

And really good lemon gelato that I just can't get in Texas.

I love my husband's chili everytime - but it's never the same pot twice. He puts in whatever's on hand + beer (and sometimes that's a lager, other times a porter or an ale). He doesn't cook much and he doesn't often cook well but his chili and his fish turn out delish every time.

Linguini with Clam Sauce. Such a simple dish yet so easy to not get right. Crappito's (I'm not joking) in Houston make a good one -- just enough red pepper, wine and parmesan and excellent, plump, clams.

I recently read a post on www.mattbites.com on vanilla brine for pork. Sounded scrumptious.

And what's the theme? Are we talking super casual (then BBQ or Cajun or even Hawaiian might be good)? Are we talking a sit down for 10? Or buffet for 50? Is it lunch or dinner or cocktail? Will people be walking around with food? What's your budget?

On the inexpensive, sit down end of things, you can't go wrong with Italian. I've made a huge pot of red sauce with meat and frozen it very successfully. I've even made large batches of lasagna and frozen it - with fresh mozzarella even. I just defrost and bake when I want it. It never comes out grainy tasting. Presentation goes a long way.

I threw a birthday (dinner) party one year (approx. 40 people came) where everything was on a skewer and grilled. I even had tropical fruit kebabs. I served buffet style - my table was positively prickling. And the birthday "cake" was a tower of cupcakes (homemade buttercream frosting freezes well for about a month I think). Cakes, in general, frost more easily after they've been frozen - but I wouldn't want to make it/freeze it more than a week in advance.

Anyway, I wanted to be sure that every thing could be eaten standing up since I don't have enough room or furniture to seat 40. There was a heavy Asian influence to the food and a variety of sauces for all the different skewers (like satay sauce, vietnamese dipping sauce, spicy orange brandy sauce, etc.). Most meat will be fine for about 3 months in the freezer after it's been cooked. A lot of skewer food is fine served room temp. If re-heating, be careful about not drying it out. You might consider a chafing dish with hot water to warm/keep it warm. The veggies, however, will be best prepped and cooked the day you serve 'em.

Not exactly recipes like you asked but you probably need to get a better idea of what your needs are. Hope that helps!

I don't have a hometown per se, but here are some of my favorites from places I've called home:

Mainz Gonsenheim, Germany - Capri Palma; tortellini alla panna. Homemade tortellini in a cream sauce with peas and ham.

Mainz Finthen, Germany - the Italian ice cream shop; spaghetti eis. Vanilla ice cream put through a potato ricer to look like spaghetti, topped with strawberry sauce to look like marinara sauce, sprinkled with almond slivers to look like grated parmesan.

Northampton, MA - Eastside Grill; blackened scallops, tenderloin w/bernaise sauce, Mississippi mud.

Curtis & Schwartz (gone now); poppyseed onion waffle with smoked salmon; any benedict; smoked bluefish omelet.

Houston, TX - Kahn's Deli; hot pastrami with swiss on rye. This is THE BEST hot pastrami this side of the Mason-Dixon line. Bar none.

La Mexicana; chicharron en salsa verde tacos (pork rinds in green salsa) with flour tortillas and a side of rice. PORK RINDS. Need I say more?

The Original Givrals; thit nuoung. Vietnamese char-grilled pork sandwich on crusty French roll with fresh cilantro, fresh/sliced jalapeno, lightly pickled julienned carrots, butter, and some exceptional char-grilled pork. $2 lunch, $3 if you have a soda. You can't beat it.

Catalan; foie gras bon-bons. Oh yes. You read that right. The texture on the outside is kinda like a tater tot, and when you bit down it bursts all that yummy goodness in your mouth. OMG.

Honolulu, HI - Leonard's Bakery; malasadas. Portuguese donuts made fresh every 20 minutes. Forget the fancy ones, just get the regular, original malasada. Buy a 1/2 dozen - just for yourself. Best eaten hot.