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LIFE VESTS
Morgan City Rotary Club is offering free life vests to the public 9 a.m. to noon, Saturday, Dec. 22, at Matthew 25 International, 210 Stable Road, Patterson.

CHRISTMAS
Service at Mt. Pilgrim Baptist Church, 113 Federal Ave., Morgan City, 7 a.m. Dec. 25. Public invited.

Teche Regional Medical Center received the Bronze award from the Louisiana Organ Procurement Agency for the hospital’s activities that help bring awareness to the procurement program and increase registry. From left are Lisa Lirrette-West, LOPA coordinator and Aphreikah DuHaney-West, Teche Regional Medical Center CEO. The hospital earned the award through its participation in the Work Place for Life Partnership under the Department of Health and Hospitals.

Officials have released a computer enhanced facial approximation of an unidentified man whose remains were found during May in Morgan City.

On May 22, the unidentified remains of a white male 35 to 50 years old were found in Morgan City. No foul play is suspected in the man’s death.

The Morgan City Police Department and the St. Mary Parish Coroner's Office asked the LSU Forensic Anthropology and Computer Enhancement Services (FACES) Laboratory for assistance with identification.

The FACES lab produced a computer enhanced facial approximation of what this man may have looked like. Contact the Morgan City Police Department at 985-380-4605 with any information about this unidentified person.

At the time the remains were found, police responded to the levee near David Drive in Morgan City after workers discovered what appeared to be a person's body in the area of David Drive near Brashear Avenue, a police news release said.

Police and arrived to locate a deceased male subject. The area was secured, and the St. Mary Parish Coroner's Office was dispatched to the scene, the release said.

This classic rendition of chicken soup starts the old-fashioned way, by making a from-scratch broth. But instead of using a whole chicken we turned to meaty chicken thighs, which kept things easier; they also added intense, meaty flavor to the broth.
To cut down on greasiness, we removed the skin after browning and before letting the thighs simmer along with the chopped and sauteed onion and bay leaves. Since most people prefer white meat in their chicken soup, we simply poached two boneless, skinless chicken breasts in the simmering broth, removing them when tender to add to the soup at the end.
With the broth and the meat taken care of, we turned our attention to the soup with an eye toward keeping things simple and traditional. Onion, carrot, and celery and some fresh thyme fit the bill. As for the noodles, cooking them right in the broth intensified their flavor.
Note that the thighs are used to flavor the broth, but once the broth is strained, the meat can be shredded and used for chicken salad or a pot pie. If you prefer dark meat in your soup, you can omit the chicken breasts and add the shredded thigh meat to the soup instead.
CLASSIC CHICKEN NOODLE SOUP
Start to finish: 1 hour
Broth:
4 pounds bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs, trimmed
Salt and pepper
1 Tbsp. vegetable oil
1 onion, chopped
12 cups water
2 bay leaves
1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts, trimmed
Soup:
1 Tbsp. vegetable oil
1 onion, chopped fine
1 carrot, peeled and sliced thin
1 celery rib, halved lengthwise and sliced thin
2 tsp. minced fresh thyme
6 ounces wide egg noodles
¼ cup minced fresh parsley
Salt and pepper
For the broth: Pat thighs dry with paper towels and season with salt and pepper.
Heat oil in Dutch oven over medium-high heat until smoking. Cook half of thighs skin side down until deep golden brown, about 6 minutes. Turn thighs and lightly brown second side, about 2 minutes.
Transfer to strainer set in large bowl. Repeat with remaining thighs and transfer to strainer; discard fat in bowl. Pour off fat from pot, add onion and cook over medium heat until just softened, about 3 minutes.
Meanwhile, remove and discard skin from thighs. Add thighs, water, bay leaves and 1 tablespoon salt to pot. Cover and simmer for 30 minutes. Add chicken breasts and continue simmering until broth is rich and flavorful, about 15 minutes.
Strain broth into large container, let stand for at least 10 minutes, then remove fat from surface. Meanwhile, transfer chicken to cutting board to cool.
Once cooled, remove thigh meat from bones, shred and reserve for another use (can refrigerate for up to 2 days or freeze for up to 1 month). Shred breast meat and reserve for soup.
For the soup: Heat oil in now-empty Dutch oven over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add onion, carrot, and celery and cook until onion has softened, 3 to 4 minutes.
Stir in thyme and broth and simmer until vegetables are tender, about 15 minutes. Add noodles and shredded breast meat and simmer until noodles are just tender, about 5 minutes.
Off heat, stir in parsley and season with salt and pepper. Serve.
Servings: 8-10
—Nutrition information per serving: 170 calories; 68 calories from fat; 8 g fat (2 g saturated; 0 g trans fats); 29 mg cholesterol; 234 mg sodium; 18 g carbohydrate; 1 g fiber; 2 g sugar; 6 g protein.