Hi! I’m Ali, and I am so happy that you found your way here.
I created Gimme Some Oven to celebrate life around the table, with recipes that are simple, fresh, and full of flavor. With two littles underfoot these days, I know how relentless the dinner grind can feel. My hope is that this space can offer a bit of inspiration for everyone — and make everyday cooking feel a bit more fun.
So whether you’re throwing together a quick weeknight dinner, hosting a cozy brunch with friends, or just craving a warm batch of cookies, I hope you’ll find recipes here that feel doable and delicious.
Cheers!
About Ali
About Me
When I began Gimme Some Oven back in 2009, I was working full-time as a musician by day and spending my evenings cooking, photographing, and sharing recipes just for fun. Over time, that creative outlet grew into a full-time career — and for more than a decade now, I’ve had the absolute joy of writing and developing recipes here on Gimme Some Oven.
Even after all these years, it still feels like magic to create a recipe in my kitchen and see it come to life on tables all around the world! Your trust in my recipes means the world to me, and I work hard to make sure each one is thoughtfully developed, thoroughly tested, and truly worth making — the kind of recipe you’ll want to return to again and again.
Beyond the blog, my husband and I are now settling back into life in Kansas City with our two young boys after spending six wonderful years living in Barcelona. My favorite things include sunny days, an excellent plate of nachos, lingering around tables with good friends, and always dreaming up our next adventure. I occasionally share more about life behind the scenes here if you’d like to follow along.
About Gimme Some Oven
So what kinds of recipes will you find here?
Short answer: a bit of everything.
The recipes I share here are the ones we’re actually making and eating in our home. My husband is pescetarian, our boys are still a bit veggie-suspicious, and I enjoy a wide range of foods — so our meals reflect that mix. We do our best to cook seasonally, and most weeknights are all about quick, flavorful recipes that come together in 30 minutes or less. But I also love slowing down on the weekends with a cozy cup of coffee and baking our favorite 1-Hour Cinnamon Rolls, or inviting friends over for a big pot of chili with homemade guac and margaritas.
You’ll notice here that we’ve got a soft spot for Mexican food, big bowls of soup, noodles in all forms, and cookies of just about every variety. While most of my recipes lean fresh and lighter, you’ll also find your fair share of fun treats and comfort food favorites — we’re all about balance!
My hope is that you’ll find recipes here that work well for real life, whatever that looks like for you right now. And if there’s ever a recipe you’re craving, I’d love to hear from you!
My Favorite Recipes
FAQs
I can’t take the credit. 😉 The name actually came from my former bandmate, Jay, who tossed it out during a rehearsal years ago when I mentioned I was thinking about starting a food blog. It made us all laugh — and it stuck! Now it feels like a fun little reminder of my past life as a full-time musician.
You bet! Every single one of the 2000+ recipes on this site has been developed and tested in my own kitchen. I now have a team of recipe testers who join me each week to test old and new recipes to help ensure they are as clear, reliable, and delicious as possible. We want each recipe to be the best it can be when it reaches your table!
The best way to ask about substitutions is to leave a comment on that specific recipe post. That way, we’ll be sure to see it, and other readers can benefit from the answer too.
Yes! We’re constantly retesting, updating and rephotographing older recipes to make sure they’re as reliable and delicious as possible. Whenever we make a significant change, we do our best to note it clearly in the recipe notes so that you know what’s been updated.
No. We made the decision back in 2018 to stop publishing sponsored content on Gimme Some Oven. While we were grateful to partner with brands we genuinely loved in the past, it’s important to us that readers know all product mentions are now completely unpaid — just things we personally use and recommend.
This is probably the most-asked question we receive. Sorry, not yet! I keep putting it off, but someday I look forward to finally writing one. 💛
Giving Back
While we love creating and sharing recipes here, we also recognize what a profound privilege it is to have consistent access to fresh food, clean water, and a safe place to gather around the table. Not everyone has that — the statistics are sobering, and they remind us how important it is to keep working toward change.
That’s why we donate a portion of our profits to support three organizations working to fight food insecurity and expand access to nutritious food and clean water around the world. Every time you visit this site, your pageviews directly help support that work too, and we’re so grateful. We’d love for you to learn more about these incredible organizations and consider supporting them in whatever ways you can too.
It’s our hope that this space not only inspires delicious meals, but also plays a small part in supporting communities far beyond our own kitchens.
TWP is a community-led initiative in Mali focused on developing economic opportunities for women through organic food production, access to clean water, and a commitment to environmental stewardship.
Cultivate Kansas City is a locally-grown nonprofit working to grow food, farms, and community in support of an equitable, sustainable and healthy local food system for all.
World Central Kitchen is first to the frontlines, providing meals in response to humanitarian, climate, and community crises.
Congratulations! I recognize the Union Station in your photo! Mary in Kansas City
Hi Ali,
I’d like to try the non-bake energy bites but I need more protein in them.
I think people often add protein powder, usually vanilla; can you suggest how much protein powder should be added, please?
Thanks,
Tim
Hi Tim! You could add some protein powder to these, and we would just suggest one scoop. You may need to add a bit more liquid to the mixture though (a little more peanut butter and/or water, just to achieve the right consistency). We hope this helps and that you enjoy them!
Looking forward to exploring this gorgeous site. Great design. If the food is as good as it looks….yum!
Thanks for your sweet words, Randy, we hope you can try some of the recipes soon! :)
Wow, my class thinks your recipes are the bomb! Thanks Alli!
Hello Ali
I am a mother of four older children. Only 2 teenager boys at home now. My New Year’s resolution was to start making at least one new recipe a month. I found your web site and it has been amazing!
I snap chat with my kids. One morning before going to work I snapped the story preparing your slow cooker chicken enchilada soup. It was easy to make and made a fun snap story. My boys LOVED it!!!
My daughter in college called and said, mom I need that recipe. I want to have friends over and it looked easy to do. She made it and her friends loved it so much they made it again the next day.
Keep up the good recipes! Mary from Bismarck ND
I just made your 30 minute beef stroganoff. It was wonderful! Thank you!
Thank you so much Ali for your beautiful and captivating website. The pictures are so startling that I read recipes that I normally would not even look at, such as “Instant Pot Crispy Carnitas”. I was lured onto your website by a picture of you Overnight Cinnamon Rolls recipe and I am hooked. The beautiful vibrant colors have made me make a pledge to myself. I am making a list of vegetables I want to start using again and I PROMISED myself that on my next shopping trip I am going to shop first for veggies and then add in healthy meats. I will also add some new spices and herbs. My husband Chris and I had been eating much more healthy lately until we had a recent setback. Chris fell on December 22 and broke his ankle horribly and lay in the flour for 4 hours until I returned home. He had mistakenly left his phone in his jacket pocket hanging on the back of a chair in our kitchen and he could not reach it. Long story short, there have been multiple hospital stays, surgery redone, wound therapy, numerous doctor visits that have brought our lives to a halt since his fall. We are now still facing 2 more months of hopefully improved healing. Friends and family have been providing meals but,the great part is both our appetites are picking back up and your beautiful website has made me long to “cook with thought again”. I promise my next email will not be so long, but if I may I would like to let you know how it goes when I try some of your recipes. The first will be your “Chicken Bacon and Avocado Salad”. I am saving the Cinnamon Rolls for a Thank you brunch I plan to have for friends at a later date. THANKS FOR YOUR INSPIRATION! Belinda
Thank you for sharing how your man makes every occasion is a date. I lost my husband 3 years ago this coming April 2nd, we had date night every week, I think about it now when I am sitting alone, how I miss those dates after 43 1/2 years of marriage. I really appreciate your sharing of this information, it made Friday night a little more bearable knowing you were having a date today or tomorrow.
Hello, I just tried you “best ever” enchiladas and made your enchilada sauce from scratch as well..OMG you were not kidding, I don’t think I have had better at an actual Mexican restaurant..So impressed. I never have liked the store bought enchilada sauce but this one was amazing…I look forward to trying more of your recipes for sure !!
Thanks for sharing, Margie — we’re so happy you enjoyed both the recipes! :D
Okay, it’s official, you are my favorite go-to site for recipes! (It pains me to tell Ina that she’s now #2). I can’t tell you how many of your recipes I’ve made and I’ve never had one I didn’t like! I just made your slow cooker black bean soup and dinner rolls as part of my dinner, very good! I hate conventional salads and you have so many really, really good ones! (Sorry, my extended family now calls asks me to make MY Ramen noodle salad!) I have referred quite a few friends to your site for great, fresh recipes. So keep doing what you’re doing, it makes the rest of us look good!
Thank you,
Debbie Hannigan