An ode to Elizabeth Ruelle

Who said all cupcakes have to be happy?

I took a short hiatus - WOW I didn’t realize how tiring my 4th of July would be - so if you made the chocolate mousse, I hope you loved it. I am back on the train now and should be back to regularly planned baking!

I have lived in Salt Lake City for 21 of my 24 years of my life. When I was 17, in my senior year of high school, I met Liz in our US Gov class. She was opinionated and I couldn’t tell when she was joking. When I was 19, she was a regular friend who came around often and whom I loved dearly. When I was 22, she was my maid of honor in my wedding. (I was, and still am, a literal baby when I got married.)

She is moving to Philadelphia soon. Part of me is jealous that she’s getting out of here. Part of me is sad that she feels she wants to leave. All of me will miss her.

She cares deeply for people and invests in relationships for the long term. She is kind and lovely and endlessly funny. She is warm and makes you feel like you belong as soon as she meets you. Salt Lake is worse without her.

She had a going away “party” (is it a party if you cry twice because you’re sad about it? Not sure) last night and I made these cupcakes as my contribution.

(I did also make the mousse, I just don’t have any photos to show for it, and I am extremely proud of these cupcakes and thought they deserved a spot forever.)

Liz has such a large piece of my heart. I can’t wait for her new adventure but I will miss her and there is already an amazing event in SLC that she will not be able to attend and there’s a pit in my stomach knowing that I will have to attend a Mamma Mia themed disco party without her.

If you have any advice for how to survive after someone you loves moves away, I will take it. I’m gonna need it until she comes back or I go to visit her.

If you want to bake along with me, my next bake is going to be these cinnamon rolls and the plan is to enjoy them with people we love at my in-laws’ place in northern Idaho. They stay fluffy and soft for a long time so they’re great to make the night before!

Thanks for being here, friends. If you read to the end of this, you now get to see a photo of me and Liz circa 2018. There was an artistic installation in SLC called the “Hall of Breakfast” and we wanted to go to take photos with giant donuts and cereal but tickets were sold out. SO we made our own version in the basement of the house I used to rent. Here is one of those photos.

Happy Monday - I hope you make the most of your week and I’ll see you back here on August 1, after enjoying some cinnamon rolls.