Cultural Glimpse

When I asked my niece if she could watch my kids so I could run a quick errand, I was looking forward to returning to her house and enjoying one of her “Blissful” delights with my coffee. Well, I was not disappointed.

I was served gluten free quesadillas, chocolate chip bliss bars, and coco nut loaf. One was more delicious than the other but my favorite was the Salvadoran quesadillas.

“My mother-in-law has been making quesadillas for years,” she said. “When I went gluten free, I couldn’t eat it anymore so a few months ago, she agreed to give me the recipe.”

The two women spent time in the kitchen, holding the baby, who in this picture is happily grabbing for the big knife, while one taught the other how to bake quesadillas.

In the end, Sandy’s mother-in-law and husband loved the gluten free quesadillas and said, “They taste even more traditional!”

Cooking and baking is an important part of her husband’s family, who are originally from El Salvador. They are known for their famous Pilar’s tamales, which her husband makes and sells at Royal Oak Farmer’s Market Fridays and Saturdays from 7am-1pm.

Sandy sells her “Blissful Baking” delights at the Birmingham Farmers Market Sundays from 9am-3pm. Both the tamales and the baked goods come together at Henry Ford Hospital West Bloomfield on Wednesdays from 10am-3pm.

“When I bake, I think of people’s different health issues,” Sandy said. “I make recipes based on their needs or wants.”

With diabetes, allergies and obesity on the rise, even affecting young children, I hope that one day she would expand her business, even write a book about these recipes for those who have a sweet tooth but are restricted by their diet from having sweets.