It was Sunday and we had planned to go to Mass at Mission San Xavier del Bac at 11:30 and eat at the Waffle House prior to Mass. Now, the Waffle House is one of my favorite if not my most favorite places for breakfast. I don’t believe there are any west of Arizona, and the lack of any is akin to people east of Arizona not having any In n Out Burger restaurants. It is the place to be!  Well, there was a wait at the Waffle House so we took the heathenish  route and skipped Mass in lieu of pecan waffles, fried eggs and hash browns which you can get smothered (sautéed onions), covered (melted cheese), chunked (hickory smoked ham), diced (grilled tomatoes), peppered (spicy jalapeñ0 peppers), capped (mushrooms), topped (Bert’s chili), or country (sausage gravy). I mean, you can’t blame a person for choosing waffles over a sermon once in a lifetime can you? It was Jan’s first time to a Waffle House and it was an epiphany for her as well.
We did make it to the mission just as Mass was ending.
Founded in 1692 by a Jesuit missionary named Father Eusebio Francisco Kino, the original mission was built some two miles away from the current church and named for Francis Xavier, a cofounder of the Jesuits. Located in the heart of Apache country the original church lasted only until about 1770 when a final raid destroyed the building. Religious governance of the area passed from the Jesuits to the Franciscans and a new church was built between 1783 and 1797. The mission was never hugely successful financially and to this day relies on the offerings of its parishioners and any other well-meaning donors to continue restoration efforts.
The inside of the church is laid out in a classic cross fashion, with a main aisle and small chapels at either end. The inside is vibrant with color of paintings, carvings, frescoes and statues.
As you enter the mission grounds there are any number of vendors set up in the courtyard, most of them selling Indian frybread, a little different from other missions where the order of business would probably be religious knick knacks. Out of deference to our neighbor Chandler Boyer who is full fledged Indian and whose mother makes the best fry bread ever, we did not have any, although I will tell you it smelled great!
We climbed a short hill, well, not so short, where at the top was a great view of the Tohono O’odham San Xavier Indian Reservation.
It’s been a while since we’ve posted any recipes, mainly because by the time I get a post written the internet gives out on me. So, this time we’re gonna make it happen. I hope.
Today’s recipe comes from the January 2001 edition of Bon Appetite. I love blue cheese, any form of it. Today it’s gorgonzola. I modified the recipe to use two loin pork chops instead of two whole loins; not a lot of storage space in our refrigerator.
the wooden spoon - a travel/photo blog 
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