Winter, even in Southwest Florida, comes with the desire to enjoy comfort foods with friends and family. Classic dishes like succulent roast chicken, creamy broccoli cheddar soup and rustic bread are sure to please and satisfy any hearty cravings this season!

Easy Roast Chicken

1 (5-6 lb) roasting chicken
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1 lemon, halved
1 head garlic, cut in half crosswise
2 tablespoons butter, melted
1 large yellow onion, thickly sliced
1 fennel bulb, cut into wedges with tops removed
Olive oil

Preheat oven to 425°F. 
Remove the chicken giblets and rinse the chicken inside and out. Remove any excess fat and pat the outside dry. Liberally salt and pepper the inside of the chicken. Stuff the cavity with lemon halves, and all the garlic. Brush the outside of the chicken with the butter and sprinkle again with salt and pepper. Tie the legs together with kitchen string and tuck the wing tips under the body of the chicken. Place the onions and fennel in a roasting pan. Toss with salt, pepper, and olive oil. Spread around the bottom of the roasting pan and place the chicken on top.
Roast the chicken for 1.5 hours, or until the juices run clear when you cut between a leg and thigh. Remove the chicken and vegetables, place in a dish, and cover with aluminum foil for about 20 minutes. Slice the chicken onto a platter and serve!

Broccoli Cheddar Soup

6 tbsp. butter
1 small onion, chopped
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
2 cups half & half
3 cups low-sodium chicken broth
1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg
Kosher salt pepper
4 cups broccoli florets (about 1 head)
1 large carrot, diced
2 1/2 cups (about 8 oz.) grated sharp cheddar cheese

Melt the butter in a large pot over medium heat. Add the onion and cook until tender, about 5 minutes. Whisk in the flour and cook until golden, 3 to 4 minutes, then gradually whisk in the half & half until smooth. Add the chicken broth, and nutmeg, then season with salt and pepper and bring to a simmer. Reduce the heat to medium-low and cook uncovered, until thickened, about 20 minutes.
Add the broccoli and carrot to the mixture and simmer until tender, about 20 minutes. Puree the soup in batches in a blender until smooth; you’ll still have flecks of carrot and broccoli. Return to the pot. (Or puree the soup in the pot with an immersion blender.)
Add the cheese to the soup and whisk over medium heat until melted. Add up to 3/4 cup water if the soup is too thick. Enjoy with a hearty bread. Yields 4 servings.

Simple Rustic Bread

1½ tablespoons yeast
1½ tablespoons kosher salt
6½ cups unbleached, all-purpose flour, more for dusting dough
3 cups lukewarm water, plus 1 cup for broiler pan
Cornmeal for dusting

Mix yeast and salt into 3 cups lukewarm water. Stir in flour and mix until there are no dry patches—the dough will be loose. Cover bowl with a dish towel and let the dough rise at room temperature for 2 hours.
To bake, sprinkle a little flour on the dough and cut off a grapefruit-size piece with a serrated knife. Turn the dough in your hands to lightly stretch the surface, creating a rounded top. The bottom will be lumpy. Put your unbaked loaf on a pizza peel sprinkled with cornmeal and let it rest for 40 minutes. If you don’t have a pizza peel, a large cutting board works as well.
Preheat oven to 450°F. Place a broiler pan on the bottom of the oven and a baking stone on the middle rack. Heat the stone for 20 minutes. 
Dust dough with flour, and slash the top with a serrated or very sharp knife a few times. Slide onto stone. Pour one cup hot water into broiler pan and shut the oven quickly to trap steam. Bake about 30 minutes or until well browned. Cool completely.
Remaining dough can be stored in the refrigerator for up to two weeks.