Dinner with the President

I get up about an hour before the rest of my family. Somedays, I am fortunate enough to get the chance to sit with a cup of coffee and my Treasury of Daily Prayer (app.) I love to sit in the morning calmness, reading Scriptures and praying.  But this morning was like most of my mornings - I used that precious hour to get as much chores and paperwork done as possible. On such mornings, my Jesus Time is recalling Bible verses, hymns, and the liturgy and "talking" to God as I multitask. I was praying for Rev. Matthew Harrison, the newly installed President of the Lutheran Church - Missouri Synod, at the same time I was trying to figure out what type of bread to make my family along with the homemade vegetable beef soup. That's when my mind wandered and . . .

. . . I started one of my favorite daydreams - Imaginary Dinner Party. I pick real people as guests and then make up menus I would serve them if they "happened by." I have dinner parties planned for Christopher Kimball, David Eckstein, Alton Brown, CC Sabatthia, Harlan Coben, Tom Hamilton, Glenn Beck, Bill Penzey, Sting, and Sarah Palin planned. I used to imagine groups of three or four of these people gathered at the SAME dinner party but that just would be too crazy. I mean, what would Sting and Tom Hamilton possibley have to say to each other?

Any who, I started to wonder what I would serve Pastor Harrison. I've admired him and his heart for "mercy works" for quite awhile. Mark and I now refer to many of the things I do as a pastor's wife as "mercy works." (That says so much more than "random acts of kindness.") I would assume Pastor Harrison is a very down-to-earth person so I came up with a very unpretentious meal for my imaginary dinner party with him. I thought of Beef Stew, Homemade Applesauce, and Potato Rolls with Icebox Cake for dessert. 

Since I already have my bread recipe binder out from planning tonight's dinner bread, I've decided to share with you my potato roll recipe. It came from my friend Aimee when she lent me her Zo bread machine last December. It was the first dough I made in the Zo and baked in the oven. I recently saw a potato roll recipe in King Arthur Flour's "The Baking Sheet," but it will have to be an amazing recipe to usurp this family favorite:
Add the following ingredients to your bread machine in the order directed in your owner's manual:

1/2 cup milk
1/4 cup potato water (water reserved from boiling the potato)
1/2 cup boiled and mashed potato
1/4 cup butter
1 large egg
1 1/2 tsp. salt
3 cups bread flour
1/4 cup sugar
2 tsp. yeast
Egg glaze - optional

When dough cycle is complete, remove dough from machine to a lightly floured surface. Divide dough into 12 equal portions. Form into smooth balls. Arrange balls into greased 9" round pan. Cover. Let rise an hour. Brush with egg glaze. Bake at 375 for 30 minutes. Remove from pan. Attempt to cool on wire rack - chances are they'll be gone before they're cool.