Winter | Week 8
Comeback Season
I guess I’m a true Western New Yorker. It hit 40 degrees this week and I walked outside like it was 65. No jacket. Squinting at the sun. Fully convinced it smelled like spring.
If you’re from New York, specifically the western, lake-effect corner of it, you understand this particular delusion. The second the snow starts melting, something chemically shifts in the brain. We become optimistic. Unstable. Jacketless.
Yes, the temperature dipped back down.
Yes, it will snow again.
No, I do not care.
Winter is slipping. I can feel it. And so, apparently, am I.
I am currently living for the return of Hilary Duff.
I spent most of the weekend listening to her new album, feeling deeply, dramatically, unapologetically e m o t i o n a l.
Hilary Duff essentially sums up my childhood. I owned all the Stuff by Duff merch. Folders. Backpack. Sneakers. T-shirts. My best friend’s mom once referred to the poster wall in my bedroom as a “Hilary Duff shrine.”
She wasn’t wrong.
This comeback of hers? It’s doing something to me.
She’s so real. So raw. So fun. And when I played my favorite song off the new album for my husband (Growing Up, duh) he immediately clocked the subtle Blink-182 influence. I didn’t even catch it myself. I was too distracted tearing up from the lyrics.
Thirteen-year-old me would have combusted.
Thirty-year-old me is just… proud.
She was my role model at 13.
And she’s my role model now.
Different season. Same permission that you’re never too old. It’s never too late.
Hilary Duff is living proof that you can do anything you want, when you want.
You can take space.
You can evolve.
You can become a mom.
You can step back.
You can come back.
You CAN have it all. On your terms.
And I think that’s why this feels bigger than just an album release.
It feels like proof.
Proof that timelines are flexible.
Proof that reinvention is allowed.
Proof that disappearing for a season doesn’t mean you’re done.
I have a HELL of a concert lineup this year. This is not accidental. This is my seasonal programming. Music makes my world go round. Music brings people together. Music drowns out the noise of everything that feels uncertain or heavy.
I feel rich because I can press play. Because I can scream-sing in my car. Because I get to feel things.
How lucky am I?
This Week’s Snackagories
Comeback snacks? If Hilary Duff is comeback energy, these snacks are too.
Nostalgic. Upgraded. Slightly delusional. Deeply comforting.
🥣 Savory Dip / Spread
Cherry Chia Jam
If you’ve been following along, you know cherry is one of my favorite flavors. This cherry chia jam is 1/2 cup frozen cherries, 1 tsp honey, 1/4 cup chia seeds and 1/2 cup water. I bring this to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. That’s it. I use it in yogurt, on PB&J’s, with goat cheese or as a protein glaze. This jam feels fresh and vibrant. Almost like a preview of what’s coming.
🍞 Grab + Go Pantry Snack
Peperoncini Bean Salad
I hesitated on putting this in the grab + go category, but most of the ingredients are pantry staples. I make a Peperoncini Dip with peperoncini’s, greek yogurt, olives, olive oil, vinegar, oregano, garlic, red pepper flakes, salt, and pepper. Then I make a bean salad with cannellini beans, chickpeas, cherry tomatoes, fresh mozzarella cheese pearls and salami. It gives pizza nigh energy, but is high-protein and wildly satisfying.
🥕 Fresh Produce
Honey Butter BBQ Cauliflower Wings
As the Western New Yorker I am, I obviously have a favorite wing flavor. Honey Butter BBQ is it. My favorite spot is O’Neils, by the Buffalo Bills Stadium, and after having them a few times I had to recreate the sauce for myself. It’s a beautiful combination of honey, butter and BBQ sauce. I make the sauce, then toss a head of cauliflower florets in it and air fry. They’re perfectly addicting.
🍫 Sweet Tooth Snack
Healthy, High-Protein Cosmic Brownies
I’ve made these 100x and after having a cosmic brownie at a local restaurant on Valentines Day, I had to whip up a batch. These unintentionally align perfectly with this weeks theme of childhood, reimagined. All you need:
Medjool dates
Peanut Butter
Chocolate Protein Powder
Cocoa Powder
Sea Salt + Sprinkles
🍗 Bulk Protein Source
Thai-Style Basil Ground Turkey
Ground Turkey is probably my most leveraged protein source. I go through 1-2lbs a week and am always experimenting. This week I prepped a pound Thai-style, to pair with coconut rice bowls and crunchy slaw throughout the week. This recipe is adaptable, versatile and seasonally confused, just like me in 40-degree weather.
These snacks aren’t winter snacks. They’re not fully spring either.
They’re transitional. And I live in the middle.
Comeback Season
Winter isn’t over. But something is shifting.
The snow is melting. The sun is lingering. My playlists are louder.
And I don’t think you have to wait for perfect conditions to start blooming.
You don’t have to wait until it’s 65 degrees to take off your jacket.
You don’t have to wait for certainty to start again.
You don’t have to wait for permission to become who you’re becoming.
Maybe this is your 40-degree delusion season too.
Main character energy.
Comeback energy.
Never-too-late energy.
In case you were looking for permission, let me be the one to tell you you don’t need it. Take Hilary Duff’s advice and live life on your terms. It’s time to press play.
Thanks for reading this weeks SubSnack <3
Until next time,
Niknack
