One fun thing is to do a themed gift.  One of my favorites is to buy baking pans and then add some things like pot holders, cookie cutters, fun non typical sprinkles, a yummy mix (scones, muffins, a bread like you find in TJ Maxx), measuring spoons, measuring cups, paper cupcake liners, and whatever I can find that is fun to go with it.

You can also do something along the same lines with pasta, wine, towels, a cookbook, garden stuff, or pick some hobby or interest.