Dear Nona:

What was all the commotion in town over the weekend?

Nosy in N. Gilman Dear Nosy:

Oh, it was a big weekend in downtown Lublin. There was a huge sale downtown, and people packed the town. Some even were wearing masks. You couldn’t get a parking place on the Main Drag from the trailer park on the west end to the trailer park on the east end. And all 14 spots were taken from the house with the junked cars on one end to the place with the junked bus on the other end. Geez, it was busy.

The Loafer family had their big Christmas sale at Lublin Shoes and Booze. They always have their sale about a month late, because they lose a lot of production in the shoe factory during deer hunting. And that’s always when the booze part of the business is the most busy.

A lot of people think it’s odd that the company is called Lublin Shoes and Booze. In a small town, lots of times things are combined. There’s the Lublin Quilting and Gun Club and the Lublin Red Hat Club and Neighborhood Watch. They give a new meaning to Red Hat “Club,” especially if you’ve ever been tapped on the side of the head by one of these ladies when you were jaywalking.

The shoe and booze partnership got a start when Pete Loafer, the town cobbler, brought his daughter Penny into the business. She came up with this newfangled shoe that the men folk wear. Penny Loafer was an innovator. Then there were Benny and Lenny. They’re OK workers. When Ed came along, they decided to start selling the booze too.

And the big sale in downtown Lublin is where a common term was coined years ago. When the menfolk had to accompany the ladies, they might meander into the spirits section from time-to-time. The deals are good there, too, and if you buy a new pair of shoes, your purchase of Lublin Lightning, the new hooch bottled right at the Lublin Ethanol Plant and Day Care, is half price. A bunch of the guys were walking around with the bottle nestled into their workboots for safe keeping on the ride home. That’s where the first fella was asked the question: “Did you have your shoes full?”

Now that’s a whopper of a story, ain’t it?

At this time of the year, I like to let my slow cooker do the work! Here’s an absolute gem.

Slow Cooker French Onion Soup with Cheesy French Toast Ingredients 6 tablespoons butter, cubed 4 sweet onions, thinly sliced 2 cloves garlic, minced or grated 2 tablespoons brown sugar 1 tablespoon worcestershire sauce 3 tablespoons flour 1 cup of your favorite beer OR red wine 2 quarts beef broth 2 bay leaves 3-4 fresh thyme sprigs + more for serving large pinch of pepper Cheesy French Toast 2 eggs 3/4 cup milk 1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese pinch of salt + pepper 6-8 thick cut slices french bread 2 tablespoons butter 8 ounces gruyere cheese, shredded Directions

To the bowl of your slow cooker, add the butter, onions, garlic, brown sugar and worcestershire sauce. Stir everything together, cover the crockpot and cook on low for at least 8 hours or up to 14 hours. I like cooking the onions overnight while I sleep (note that I have noticed that all crockpots cook differently, if yours seems to cook fast, check the onions at 8 hours in to make sure nothing is burning).

The next morning, stir the flour into the onions and then add the beer (or wine), beef broth, bay leaves, thyme and a good pinch of pepper.

Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours or on high for 3-4 hours. The longer and slower you can cook this the better. Taste and season with salt + pepper if needed.

Just before you’re ready to eat, make the french toast. In a shallow bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk, parmesan and a pinch of salt and pepper.

Preheat the broiler to high.Heat a large skillet over medium heat and add the butter to melt.Submerge one piece of toast at a time into the egg mixture, allowing it to sit 30 seconds in the eggs.

Remove and allow the excess to drip off back into the bowl. Place the toast on the hot skillet and cook until golden brown, about 3 minutes per side.

Repeat with the remaining bread.

Ladle the french onion soup into oven safe ramekins or bowls. Place 1-2 pieces of toast on top of the soup and cover with cheese. Place the ramekins on a baking sheet and place under the broiler for 30 seconds to 1 minute, or until the cheese is melted. WATCH close, the broiler works quick! Serve the soup with fresh thyme and enjoy hot, right out of the oven!