Julia O'Malley

Feb 7, 2025 | adn.com | Julia O'Malley

The first time I dunked a french fry in ranch, I was with my cousin at the East Anchorage Red Robin behind the Northway Mall sometime in the late 1980s. The hot salt/cool tang combo struck teenage me as alchemy, a food of the very cool. I didn’t know at the time, though, how Alaska that mouthful was. Turns out a fry dipped in ranch — a favored combo in Super Bowl spreads this weekend — may be more of this place than you think. And I have a great recipe for both. Hear me out.

Jan 24, 2025 | adn.com | Julia O'Malley

I shuffled across a gritty, icy parking lot to the store on a recent Sunday and found that a shipment must have been late because there were no eggs or milk or ground beef. I sought inspiration in the produce section, but the locusts had come through, leaving behind droopy celeries, spongy cucumbers and roughed-up broccoli. There were, however, lots of oranges — navels, mandarins — still in great shape. And one lonely bulb of winter fennel. Sometimes, in January, fresh grocery vibes get weird here.

Dec 10, 2024 | alaskabeacon.com | Julia O'Malley

5:00 News Story Economy & Environment Yukon River communities fight to maintain their salmon fishing traditions Katie Kangas’ salmon memories live in her body. They are the ache of the knife in her hand after hours of cutting fish in summertime. The heft of a wooden pole loaded with scored fillets. The smell of cottonwood smoldering in her corrugated metal smokehouse. Kangas is a grandmother now.

Nov 21, 2024 | adn.com | Julia O'Malley

As you plan next week’s big meal, we have lots of great recipe ideas for you, including a list of pie and dessert recipes and a roundup of recipes for traditional subsistence holiday delicacies from around the state. If you’re looking for new dishes to go with your bird, we’ve pulled together a bunch of sides, as well as a delicious bonus appetizer recipe and a festive cocktail, all of them from Alaska cooks.

Nov 14, 2024 | adn.com | Julia O'Malley

Over the summer, I had an opportunity to visit Paris, and there I stumbled on a bakery with a line of Parisians out the door called Le Pain Retrouvé. It had no sign outside, and inside there was nothing cute or quaint about it like other boulangerie/bakeries we’d seen. Bakers handled dough and called out orders in the oven’s heat.