Miss Mamie's Cupcakes, Cakes and Such - Happiness Baked Daily

This Sunday, March 25, at 8 p.m. EST, watch Miss Mamie and her assistant, Erin Sintos, of Miss Mamie’s Cupcakes, Cakes and Such, compete in one of Food Network’s ultimate culinary battles during a live television premiere.

Appearing on Food Network is the most exciting thing that has ever happened in my life, and I could have never imagined competing in a baking competition on national television when my brother and I opened the bakery just two years ago, says part-owner and pastry chef Mamie Doyle. And we could never thank our friends, family, and confidants in Cheboygan enough, for all of their support.

To find out how her frosting fares in a competitive kitchen, you will have to watch her on Food Network!

Theater doors will open Sunday at 7 p.m. for loyal customers, cupcake conoisseurs and guests of all ages. And Miss Mamie’s is preparing a special surprise not to be missed after the show!

I know a lot of our patrons are curious about what goes on behind that swinging kitchen door…so I decided to give you a sneak peak. Well that, plus the fact that Erin shot these awesome pictures so of course I had to utilize them! It’s not always pretty back there…often times we walk around with cornstarch on our bums, frosting in our hair, and flour on our face but we do it with style and grace. At least that’s what I tell myself to justify my more often than not…..errr frazzled appearance at work?

As some of you may know, my favorite pastime is painting. Sooooooo of course my fav cakes are those that I get to paint on! With my own little special blend of “food safe” ingredients (ahem, including vodka) I mix my colors and away I go. This particular cake only called for black. Easy Peezie Lemon Squeezie. Bon apetite!

Spring is in full swing in Georgia after a COLD winter! Finally! We thought we’d sweeten the deal by offering a new cupcake decorating class for all of you lovely dames in the Atlanta area. We will be learning about the birds and the bees….no, not literally! I will leave that fun job up to the junior high health instructor as I don’t consider myself adequately qualified:) Instead, we will learn to make fondant birds and bees. How fun are these?! (Pictures compliments of the lovely Erin Chupp Sintos of course:)

So if you’re looking to break out of your winter funk and want a night out on the town with your girlfriends, why not throw a little cornstarch around and try your hand at something new? Not to mention you can impress all of your friend with your creations. And the best part?! you get to come and hang out with me for a few hours;)

Here’s the scoop:

1.Get together 6 or more interested girls. It’s just $30/student

2. Parties can be booked Monday-Saturday from 7-9

3. You can bring in all your own appetizers/drink to keep ya goin!

4.You get to take 6 of your lovely cupcakes home and the know-how to make more (if you so choose) when you leave!

We don’t normally like to fan our own feathers around the bakery…but this definitely calls for it! Erin (my beloved coworker who I’ve previously mentioned) has been featured in Atlanta Bridal Magazine for her fabulous wedding!!! Her story is incredible and her wedding was nothing short of a modern day fairytale…in a funky/fun sort of way! Not to mention the article mentions a Miss Mamie’s cake made by yours truly!!! It is obvious that she has an eye for color and a vivid imagination to pull such a personalized event together by utilizing the talents of family and friends. And is she stunning or what?!? Some people just have it all:)

So run out and get your copy today! Or just stop in the bakery and either Erin or I will be happy to show you her magnificent spread!

Hey All!!! So after spending many grueling hours brainstorming ideas for Vday cupcakes I finally settled on owls. Who doesn’t love them anyhow? They are sure to make EVERY Valentine smile! The best part about these lil birdies is….you can learn to DIY!!!

For all of those that have been religiously following our newsletter and peeking in the shop to inquire about classes for yourselves, your girlfriends, your moms, sisters, and daughters…the time has come! We are offering the classes Monday through Friday from now until February 11th! So call to schedule yours a.s.a.p because the slots are filling in quick!

If you’re not “Susie Homemaker” and you’d rather just buy them from us and hand them out to your valentines …well you can do that too!!!

The BEA-UTIFUL pictures were taken by friend and coworker Erin Sintos! For more info visit her site! Erin was gracious enough to bring in her camera to shoot our little friends in their “natural habitat.” We pretty much love her here:)

I will be spending Valentines Day with my favorite boy in the Whole world….yep…you guessed it! My Howard dog. I absolutely HAD to attach a picture of him as well because I know ya’ll have been DYING to see what he’s been up to. (It’s never usually good!) For instance…he’s NOT supposed to be up on my chair with his dirty paws! He’s pretty rotten and will do anything for attention….it’s hard to believe but I think it makes me love him all the more! Wishing you a happy healthy Valentines day season filled with Love (and owl cupcakes of course:)!!!

What a morning!!!! I’ve really been trying (without much success) to kick my bad habit of procrastinating, but lately waiting until the last minute always seems like the most practical solution….for everything!

Which explains why I was up until 1 a.m. last night making cupcakes and back up at 5a.m. this morning to get ready for my debut on Fox 5 news! My alarm blasted on and I kept sawing logs until Ross came in my room and dragged my butt out of bed. (Everyone should know that this scenario is usually the other way around….Ross is NOT a morning person:) Jumped out of bed far from bright eyed and bushy tailed, threw some clothes on, put my hair in a pony, and drove down to the bakery to get my “cupcake” on.

You know the old saying “shaking in my boots?” Well, that was me….literally. I don’t have the greatest track record on giving presentations and I usually end up saying something completely embarassing…which is why I was wishing the newscast was not live. Sitting in the Theatre waiting to go on was nerve racking but when it came down to it and the camera man said “you’re about to go on” I was suddenly as calm as a cucumber. It was fun and definitely a rush! Hmmmm…..maybe I should look for a new career in the news business???

Nah…I would miss making little beauties like these too much!

Come in for a class this Wednesday to learn how to make them and take 6 of them home with you!!! Can’t make it on Wednesday? Plan your own girls night/decorating class for another time! Call 678.290.9811 for details.

And just in case you missed it….here is the clip from the news this morning!

http://www.myfoxatlanta.com/dpp/good_day_xtra/road_warrior/Road-Warrior%3A-Christmas-in-Marietta-20101206-gda-sd

I met Kathy Swinford (Katie’s mom) one day last February when her and her mother came in for a cupcake. We got to talking about things and soon after Kathy scheduled her bible study to meet at Miss Mamie’s one morning. That’s when she told me that her daughter Katie was engaged and we must talk cake!

The two couldn’t be sweeter and it truely was a pleasure working with them throughout the process. They’re practically family now! Katie grew up near the square and got her first job working for the Jeweler on the square…and much like myself, she has always been a diamond girl! My mom used to tease me that I liked all things shiny…what’s there not to like about a little bling?!

Her wedding was completely fabulous from head to toe. There were candles galore, the venue looked like something that belonged in Europe, the flowers were gorgeous and there was enough cake (and cupcakes) to feed a small army. I must admit…I was a little bit jealous;) I didn’t catch a glimpse of Katie but I’m 100% sure she was a knockout…as she naturally is on an average day. I can’t wait to see more pictures! I get giddy just thinking about it!

Katie’s aunt was kind enough to order a Louis Vuitton cake for Katie’s bridal shower the day before the wedding. The flavor…Margarita. Completely fitting for a bunch of girls getting together to celebrate! It was a blast making this little masterpiece! and the best part…it was a surprise!

Katie’s cake was a mixture of Carrot, Guinness, and Red Velvet. A little something for everyone! Kathy brought me the ribbon which she made herself! Talk about hours of hot glue gun action! Definitely made with love! and…if I’m not mistaken…the topper was the “something borrowed” at the wedding. It was Tom’s parents topper at their wedding! All in all, I’d say they definitely put a personal touch on their special day. It was over the top and it screamed Katie….as it should! Congratulations Mr. and Mrs. Falluco!

Ms. Ashley Belle Larson walked into Ms. Mamie’s for the first time last July with her mom and sister Wesleigh. We talked for a few minutes about cake decorating, I invited her to come into the bakery the following week to help with cakes, and by August 1st we were roomates! Funny how things work out, isn’t it?

Let me tell you a few things about Ash that has led to our great friendship….

1. She loves cake decorating. (she has even pulled a few late nighters with me at the bakery….decorating cakes until 2 a.m….because that’s what friends are for, right?)

2. She is a phenomenal cook. (Who doesn’t love someone to prepare a gourmet meal for you after a long day?!)

3. She loves to dance. (We usually have dance parties in the living room after our gourmet meal….our favorite artist: Lady Gaga)

4. She loves costumes as much as I do. (Sometimes we have contests:)

5. She is motivated. (She goes to school full time AND works at the Publix bakery AND she helps at Miss Mamies AND she still manages to have fun!)

6. She loves dogs (Although she doesn’t have one of her own….Ashley and Howard have become quite close….sometimes Howard thinks she’s his girlfriend:)

7. She is selfless. (Ash always puts others in front of herself and is one of the best listeners I have ever found in a friend.)

8. She is eclectic. (Just like Ross and I….we enjoy the same weird things!)

9. She loves to laugh. (The three of us are quite electric together….mostly because we love to laugh at ourselves)

10. She is like a sister to me. (I feel like we have known one another for years and it’s only been 5 months!)

Other things Ashley and I have in common include: our birthdays are 4 days apart, we both were/are in love with American Girl Dolls, we are both from the North (she is originally from Illinois), and we both LOVE art.

You know you’ve got it good when you find a friend that you can be completely comfortable about being yourself with. So here’s to girl talk, cake decorating, lady gaga, dance parties, gourmet meals, french martinis and peach bellinis, birthday celebrations, cocktail rings, headbands, cold showers (because we always run out), and new friends to help us celebrate life and all that it has to offer! We love us some Ashley Belle and are so glad she found us! Slainte;)

Wow! Don”t these pictures make you jealous?! I wish I was little again so I can have a fairy princess cupcake party! Ms. R went all out for this party so as to capture awesome pics for when she will be featured in the “Our Town” magazine…so watch out for her and her fellow princess party goers! Ashley (my roomie) made the cake and cupcakes after attending the DMB concert….needless to say we wrapped the whole thing up around 3a.m. We work best under pressure:)

I can’t complain much when it comes to past Birthday parties as Mom and Pops spoiled me most every year. Here are the parties I remember best….

At 5 I had a tea party at Aunt Sandra’s house. I remember how special I felt eating the little deserts she had made while wearing my party dress, party bows, party gloves, party shoes, and of course the party socks with ruffles! I was especially delighted when I realized that the tea set we used turned pink when the tea was hot and later turned purple as the tea cooled. Man did I think that was the cat’s meow!

At 6 I had a spaghetti dinner/dance party in which all of my friends were required to wear their Sunday best. That’s right, I had a dress code. Mom made spaghetti and meatballs (because that’s the fanciest dinner a 6 year old could dream up!) then after we ate Dad slid the table out of the dining room and into the living room and Voila! a dance floor appeared! We spent the rest of the evening dancing to songs like the Hokey Pokey and the Chicken Dance.

At 10 my parents decided to let 20 of my girlfriends spend the night. What were they thinking?! Obviously they weren’t! However, it was smart of them to set up our pad out in the garage. One would think a garage would not be a very festive atmosphere for a birthday party, but we managed to make it look like a dream come true. 20 cots lined up…thank you Dad. Balloons and streamers galore. Mom hooked up the T.V. so we could watch “The Parent Trap” with Lindsay Lohan. We ordered pizza, had a water balloon fight, swam in the pool and giggled half the night while cousin Myranda slept:)

At 14 Dad took me and about 5 girls out to hunting camp. Although I am a girly girl at heart I am not afraid to get my hands dirty every once in a while. We brought dirt bikes and four wheelers, ate burgers and dogs, and had smores a plenty. We rode the dirt bikes to Lake Michigan and went swimming….brrrr! I still have pictures of that party. Just about every one of us had braces, frizzy hair, and not so hot outfits…pretty much we fit right in with the folks in Bliss MI. It was a riot.

At 16 my best friend Maggie and I thought we were going out to dinner with our Mom’s (our birthdays were pretty close together). I was growing suspicious when Mom kept telling me I needed to dress up. Who did I have to impress! I understood once the Limo pulled in the driveway! Mom and Donna surprised us with renting the limo to pick us up first and then drive around to each of our friends house and pick them up then take us to dinner at the Dixie in Mackinaw city. Afterwards we went home to spend the night in a suite at Aunt Doris and Uncle Clayton’s hotel. Once again we chose to stay up most the night and chat……….probably about boys at this point.

At 21……maybe we shouldn’t talk about it:)

Soooo this past weekend was incredibly PACKED at Miss Mamie’s due to the Art Show in the square! And although I don’t have any pictures of that to share with you (I was WAY to busy to even THINK about taking pictures!) I do have some pictures of our camping adventure to share with you…….

STEP 1: Drop Howard John off at his best friend Wilbur’s house

STEP 2: Drive 3.5 hours to the Blue Ridge Mountains where our good friends Tyler and Joey were waiting to camp with us. Tyler’s godfather owns the property that backs up to a National Forest and started to build a weekend getaway about 9 years ago. Ross and I enjoyed the time away from all the goings on of work…it was good to be off the grid! And talk about BEAUTIFUL!!! It reminded us of being at home….Bliss, deer camp, good ol’ country folk, ring any bells? Check out these pics….

STEP 3: Make the trek from Brevard to Asheville NC. Supposed travel time 1 hour. Actual travel time 3 hours. It’s funny how not having a map, a GPS, or cell phone service can hinder an individual. Ross and I by no means resemble a Lewis and Clark team so we resorted in pulling over at every gas station (they were about 45 minutes apart) to ask the attendant if we were on the right track. We continually got the same answer “Just keep goin thataway!” with an out thrust arm and finger pointing in the direction we had been heading the entire time. Needless to say we were relieved when we finally pulled into Asheville. If you’ve never been…I highly recommend it.

Asheville is said to be one of the fastest growing cities in the Nation (maybe a good candidate for a 2nd Miss Mamie’s?) and is one of the most beautiful cities I have ever visited. The people vary from wealthy retirees to young hippies. Our activities included:

1. Staying in a Hostel

2. Following a man wearing a fanny pack around trying to get a picture….what does he have in there?! I must know!

3. Eat some amazing meals including this Brown Sugar Dijon encrusted Salmon served over mandarin orange and cranberry orzo………YUM!

4. Visit tons of consignment shops (I found the dress below and wanted to buy it desperately but would have absolutely nothing to wear it to…I hate it when that happens!), antique stores, used book stores, bakeries, go for windy drives up the mountains, dream about visiting the Biltmore estate (ran out of time.) listen to sidewalk bands, and chat with several locals. All in all, it was an amazing time!

STEP 4: Travel home! We stopped at the Tallulah Gorge in Tallulah GA to stretch the legs. Here’s Ross pictured in front of the drop off.

Can you believe that in 1970 a man by the name of Karl Wallenda crossed the gorge for $10,000 and a martini! I think I would have to have several martinis before I crossed and the reward money would have to be significantly steeper than 1o grand! Karl Wallenda tragically fell to his death 8 years later trying to cross a gorge in Costa Rica.

All in all it was a successful trip but it feels sooo good to be home. Back to the grind tomorrow!