**I received a complimentary Mantry crate at launch, in hopes I would share my honest thoughts here on Momma Told Me Blog 2014. All photos and thoughts below are copyright Momma Told Me Blog 2014.
Momma Told Me: Men aren't complicated. They simply want to be fed.
They say a way to a man's heart is through his stomach; for me, there's nothing more attractive than a man who can cook. And I'm not talking about laying out a platter of Cheez Wiz on Ritz crackers- I mean a spatula wielding, sauce basting, meat grilling kind of guy. There's a reason every Hallmark mom is portrayed by a woman in bed with a freshly prepared platter of food. Beyond the desire to reverse roles, or feel pampered, there is something sexy about a man with a palette; just look at the business Gordon Ramsay has devised with his likeness and name alone! And now, more than ever, the modern man is becoming more and more discerning about what they put on their plate.

Finally there is a subscription box for the Man's Man the man with a stomach that has a voice of it's own; the man that considers baby carrots a garnish rather than food, the man who picks his coffee for the aromatic notes rather than the licensed picture on the side of the bag. The Mantry box truly is the modern man's pantry, a carefully curated monthly collection of fine flavors and epicurean indulgences sampled and picked from hidden gems across the country. It's a gathering of authentic flavors that represent regions and lifestyles; independent and artisan brands that, in most cases, deal exclusively with specific product (brittle, sausage, rubs) to hone it's perfection. And, most importantly, a frills free guide to these products and how to put them to work to ignite taste buds.

Considered 'Food For Men,' the Campfire Cookout themed monthly box I received from Mantry was certainly the ideal curation for any man in my life. Packed with coffee rub, bourbon nib toffee, summer sausage, heat infused salsa, beer bread mix, and hickory smoked bacon, this was a cookout begging to happen. With full size 'products,' most individual indulgences or highlighting ingredients, the value of the
Mantry was evident from the get-go. This was not your ordinary box, there were no fluffy crumpled paper or tissue fillers, it was 100% Mantry. Pure, delicious, artisan sourced foods with a beautifully illustrated preparation and pairing booklet.
There are few men one couldn't win over with a slab of Broadbent's Hickory Smoked dry cured bacon- a shelf stable perfection for any camp out or lazy afternoon skillet. I was happy to indulge my creative side when pairing the Just Cook Herbed Coffee Rub as a crisp cure to the bacon's edges. Crafted in San Francisco, Just Cook is a hearty blend of herbs and flavors that, in this case, pairs ground coffee for a slightly acidic rub base to compliment the inclusion of chipolte and cumin. Yes, it smells as delicious as it looks, and a little goes a long way to flavor town!

It wouldn't be the modern man's pantry without a little chocolate and bourbon, so The Campfire Cookout collection included something a little sweet with a box of Olive + Sinclair Bourbon Nib Brittle. From Nashville, TN, this delicacy features stone ground single-origin cacao beans cured in local bourbon barrels and melted into the golden river that is brittle toffee. These generous chunks of chocolate topped brittle were hearty in portion and a decadent indulgence as the rich semisweet coating melted with each crumbling bite. As a red-blooded chocolate loving woman, this spoke to my very core.

Hailing from New York, and made with traditional techniques by a Mexico City expat, the small batch handcrafted La Fundidora Fuego salsa brought a manly sense of heat to the collection. Perfect for a rustic morning omelet, or over a slice of the collection's Soberdough Green Cheddar Chili Brew Bread, the easy spread texture of this mellow heat salsa was full of tomatillo and arbor chile flavor. In general, all of the savory flavors of the Mantry box lent themselves to pairing with one-another; particularly in a hearty skillet or breakfast style meal.
Which lead me to create the above breakfast skillet featuring Mantry's
Campfire Cookout Vermont Smoke + Cure Summer Sausage. Scratch made in small batches, using local Vermont meats, this Summer sausage has refined the flavors of rustic and made a classic 'man meat' staple even better. With a few slices grilled in a skillet, some fried hasbrowns, a sunny side up egg, and bagel core topped with Fuego salsa, I created the perfect breakfast surprise and secured my amazing girlfriend status for yet another month. Best of all, where some 'boxes' disappear quickly, we were enjoying the provisions of our Mantry box for weeks in cooking endeavors and midnight brittle samplings.
What Daughter Says: Ditch the garnishes and get down to flavor. You don't have to be a man to eat like one.
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That does look like a fun box and despite the name I don't think it's limited to men. I think I could have a lot of fun with it much like you did
ReplyDeleteHoly smokes that good looks fabulous, and the crate does look stuffed with food. I hate when you get food boxes and it's all packaging. Can I eat at your house?
ReplyDeleteMaybe I am part man, but everything in this box is right up my alley. I would love to get the Mantry subscription for Christmas. OHHH WALLLT.....
ReplyDeletelol Cristi - but I feel the same. YUM. That brittle looks great, in particular.
ReplyDeleteMy husband is an excellent chef, and I am extremely pampered when it comes to dinners - he almost always cooks for me! This is a great Christmas idea for him - he would love Mantry.
ReplyDeleteUmmm--I am not a man, but I want this box! Chocolate and bourbon? Yum!
ReplyDeleteI'd love to gift this to my hubby for Christmas, everything looks delicious!
ReplyDeleteNow that really looks good!
ReplyDeleteThat looks so good!!! That brittle looks delicious.
ReplyDeleteThat is an awesome box! Rustic and yet delicious ingredients.
ReplyDeleteThe box looks like it would be a great gift for my sister--she loves this kinda stuff--thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteNow this is my kind of subscription box. Holy Cow.
ReplyDeleteWhat an awesome box! That looks so good! YUM!
ReplyDeleteYum!! This looks like my kind of subscription box! Definitely a great Christmas idea.
ReplyDeleteWOW - That is pretty cool! My husband would be in seven heavens!
ReplyDeleteYour pics are so beautiful!! You totally sold me on checking out this company!
ReplyDeleteThis looks amazingly delicious and amazingly awesome for the men in my life. My dad LOVES to cook, especially breakfast and anything that can be put on the grill. This would totally be something he would get into. - Katy
ReplyDeleteThis looks super yummy. My hubby would love it.
ReplyDeleteThis looks super yummy and I know if I had something like this delivered my husband would love me. Plus I would love me. I might have to order this for him for Christmas!! one more person to cross of my list and it is only October!!
ReplyDeleteBoth my husband and father would love this. It's on my shopping list now. Thanks for sharing.
ReplyDeleteI'd like to try the ISRAELI COUSCOUS & GRILLED LEMON recipe. We have a lemon tree, so always looking for good recipes with lemon...and I know everyone in my family would like this!
ReplyDeleteGrady's Cold Brew Creamsicle sounds amazing!! I have always wanted to make my own ice cream and these ingredients sound like a delicious and unique combination
ReplyDeleteI want to try the GOLD RUSH COCKTAIL. So yummy and pretty easy to do!
ReplyDeleteBacon Bourbon Baked Beans look and sound amazing!
ReplyDeleteThe recipe I would like is the GRADY’S COLD BREW CREAMSICLE. It looks like it would be delicious.
ReplyDeleteThis box seems right up my alley, as my boyfriend loves to cook, and I have the appetite of a man! I would really love to try the Korean Tacos or the Coffee Summer Sausage Hash. This post is making me hungry!
ReplyDeleteXX, SS || A Little Seersucker Sass
I would love to try the Korean BBQ Tacos. They seam like they would be fairly easy and yummy.
ReplyDeleteI'd love to try the Israeli Couscous & Grilled Lemon. I think since winter's here and it's so dark outside, I've been loving the idea of citrus to brighten up my food and still keep it light. Thanks for the chance.
ReplyDeleteStephanie
steph 0828 at hotmail dot com
The Mantry Recipe I know my husband would love to the most would be the Asparagus & Absinthe Vinaigrette. All the ingredients in this recipe would put my husband taste buds in heaven. His favorite vegetable is Asparagus and then adding parmesan and crushed hazelnuts sounds like the perfect dish to me.
ReplyDeleteThe bacon bourbon baked beans sound delicious. I would make that with a steak. Yum!
ReplyDeleteheymissvirginia at embarqmail dot com
So many of the recipes look wonderful and my husband would love them. But I would really like to try the bourbon sugar grilled peaches. Those look yummy!
ReplyDeleteI'd like to try the GRILLED POTATO & CHORIZO SALAD
ReplyDeleteOoh, I'd like to try the Bourbon Sugar Grilled Peaches! I've never heard of grilling peaches, and serving it in a bowl of yogurt sounds really good.
ReplyDeleteThe bourbon sugar grilled peaches look delicious! I would have never thought of this combination--my husband will be delighted with this recipe if I can assemble the ingredients for it.
ReplyDeleteSo attempts to go meatless underway, and this week I've picked up soy chorizo, hmmm. I've picked it up in the fridge 3 times trying to figure what to do with it..viola..found my answer @ mantry. Grilled Potato & Chorizo Salad hits all the right notes.
ReplyDeleteI'd like to try their Broadbent bacon burger. I mean seriously; you just can't go wrong with bacon. I'd love to try that Empire bacon mayo!
ReplyDeleteGrady’s Cold Brew Creamsicle sounds interesting, I have never seen a recipe for something like this before.
ReplyDeleteThe gold rush cocktail looks like something I would love. And, it looks really easy to make!
ReplyDeleteThe Bourbon Caramel S'mores look really good. It would probably be something I would make in the summer.
ReplyDeleteGrady's Cold Brew Creamsicle looked amazing. Ice cream and coffee can never be a bad combination. And Bourbon Smoked Sugar- I must try that!
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteI think Mantry is so cool. I would love to make the Grady’s Cold Brew Creamsicle. All their products look amazing. Forget men I love this idea
ReplyDeletewe are a huge pasta family so I would love to try HERB PANCETTA & SMOKY FUSILLI, it sounds just wonderful
ReplyDeleteI'd like to try the Bourbon Sugar Grilled Peaches! They sound yummy!
ReplyDeleteandysavi.mom@gmail.com
The Broadbent Bacon Burger recipe sounds really good. I, also, like the Shrimp and Hominy Grits recipe.
ReplyDeleteI'd like to the buttermilk fried chicken.
ReplyDeleteI would love to try the recipe GRADY’S COLD BREW CREAMSICLE 2 of my favorite thinbgs coffee and creamsicles YUMMY!
ReplyDeleteI'd love to make the Grilled Potato & Chorizo Salad. Those flavors and ingredients are already something my man and I love so it would be right up our alley.
ReplyDeleteThe Bourbon Caramel S'mores are a great twist on the standard and would be devoured in no time around here.
ReplyDeleteI think it would be fun to Bacon Jelly and brie sandwich sounds yummy I think that these Mantry products should increase anyones taste buds into trying new things,
ReplyDeleteI would love to try the Korean barbeque tacos. We love tacos and barbeque-best of both worlds.
ReplyDeleteI want to try the Bourbon Sugar Grilled Peaches recipe. Peaches are my husband's favorite fruit and I love the fact that the ingredient list and steps to make it are both short and simple!
ReplyDeleteI would love to try the bourbon sugar grilled peaches. I had grilled peaches for the first time this summer and I'm obsessed with them. Can't wait until the season rolls around again!
ReplyDeleteI think I would like to try to BOURBON SUGAR GRILLED PEACHES. We have a peach tree in our backyard and love to grill peaches :)
ReplyDeleteI went to their site and looked at past boxes and one I would love is the Coffee and a Smoke box.
ReplyDeleteheather hgtempaddy@hotmail.com
i want to try the Grilled Potato & Chorizo Salad
ReplyDeleteI would like to try the Asparagus & Absinthe Vinaigrette and of the past boxes I would choose the Coffee & a Smoke
ReplyDeleteI would like to try and make the Bourbon bacon baked beans and the Mexican grilled corn. There were a few more recipes that I would like to try.
ReplyDeleteWow there were a lot of great looking recipes here. I like spicy food so the Dragon Blood Wings Recipe caught my eye. Yum!!
ReplyDeleteI have been to my fair share of holiday party venues across the city. But this one is my favorite. I think their prices are reasonable and personally like the pudding and apple crisp they serve.
ReplyDeleteI'm wondering why the opposite experts of this sector don't notice this.
ReplyDeleteI am confident, you have a huge readers' base already!
ReplyDeleteIn any case I will be subscribing on your feed and I hope you write again very soon!
ReplyDeleteUlike vitenskapelige artikler for studenter om en rekke emner finner du her. Økonomi, politikk, sosiologi og mye mer.
ReplyDeleteFor de som ikke vet hva ekspansiv pengepolitikk definisjon er, har vi en detaljert artikkel om dette emnet for deg.