Stories of 2011: A Sweet Conspiracy

It's been a little more than six months since Patch launched in Merrimack and it's been an eventful half a year. With 10 days left in 2011, we decided to count down 10 stories we think are worth another look.

Some are uplifting, some are not. Some mean big things for the future of Merrimack, others are simply a slice of life. Some stories are not over, they'll continue well into 2012 and we will continue to bring you updates as we learn more about them.

Thank you for helping make our first six months better than we could have imagined. We are excited to see what is in store for 2012.

8. Mom and Daughter Cook Up Sweet Conspiracy

On Tuesday, Sept. 13, Merrimack resident Lisa Lefebvre and her daughter Stevia opened the doors to Merrimack's newest sweet shop Cupcake Conspiracy.

The bakery, which specializes in cupcakes makes up batches of the sweet treats in creative flavors and some with even more creative names like Miss Piggy, Tekilyah (think tequila – it's a margarita flavored cupcake) and Bananarama. They serve up different recipes on a rotating basis every couple of weeks and take special orders for people looking for a larger quantity of cupcakes.

Lisa Lefebvre was a longtime owner of her own Pampered Chef business, while Stevia is a recent graduate of the New England Culinary Institute in Vermont. The duo has done recent guest spots on radio station WGIR and Cooks Corner on WMUR with Sean McDonald (it airs Dec. 28 at noon).

Their cupcakes are created based off of recipes Lisa's found all over the place, some are adapted from family recipes and some from suggestions of things to try.

“I don't have secret recipes passed down from my grandmother, because really, everyone's grandmother's recipe is out there, is just under someone else's name,” Lefebvre said.

is at 583 Daniel Webster Highway, Unit B. Hours are Tuesday through Friday 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Saturday 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. It  is closed Sunday and Monday.

Other stories that made our Top 10 list: