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.
I followed the recipe to a T with the exception of the Chinese Seeds when making the No Bake Energy Bites but I had such difficulty making them into balls after chilling for two hours. Any suggestions?! They are delicious!
*****
Your red velvet cupcake recipe is awesome!
I have always used box mixes until now, thank you!
I just came upon your recipe for Roasted Artichokes and I can’t wait to try it! As a graphic designer and massive foodie, I have to tell you how beautiful your food photography is. I’ve spent years looking and working with stock photography. I wish I could’ve had gorgeous pics like these to work with!
OMG1 THE BEST MEATBALLS EVER! I have tried lots of recipes but never ever had a good outcome. These meatballs are the best ever! I ate more than I should and cannot wait to share with boyfriend and
daughter. I just used organic ground beef, 85/15, nothing else but I dis substitute fresh herbs. Soooo good, moist, flavorful, yum!
I made the beef jerky per your recipe. Man….it was so easy. I used eye of round for the meat. The jerky came out super flavorful, had just the right amount of chew couple with just the right amount of pliability. I held back on some the pepper as my wife really dislikes peppery stuff, but I think I will add the full amount next time as I think it just the kick it needs. Great recipe, super easy, and the results were pretty darn good!
Hey Ali,
I have been using your recipes for some time. Finally, I noticed a trend. Half of my go to recipes are from your site. One I have shared the most – meatballs (the best but for fake beef I double season – panko panade is the key and a must do). We are undertaking a project to do one or two of your recipes a week as a family.
So I wanted to drop you a note in the event you read things like this to let you know how talented I think you are and how much we have gotten from your work. I look forward to reading your first book or watching your future show ( if you do that kind of thing). Otherwise, I’d be interested in knowing how I could support your work, so if you offer subscriptions or have Patreon, I’ll join. As I write that, it occurs to me to check your website for that information.
Best wishes from a fan,
MRobert
Hey Ali! Found your Tex-Mex Migas recipe and will be making those for my dad this Father’s Day! I love that you were inspired by your trip to Austin. That’s our home. So it seems perfect! Now I just need to find a delish recipe for “Morning Margaritas.” Cheers!
Dear Ali, I am so excited to have found your website! I enjoyed reading about you. I have met some ladies where I live who were very involved in the Enneagram. I found it fascinating. Thank you for sharing! When you have a chance, do you have a recipe (it has ground beef in it) for chili? My husband likes thick chili and while I am not a good cook, I am looking for a recipe for thick chili with ground beef that I could make for him. As a side note, we married in 2013 (I was 56) and so we have not been married to eat other all of our lives, and I find it really hard to appease him with the cooking that I have done. When we worked, our schedules were so tight that we chose to do takeout on most nights, with leftovers on other nights. Now that we are retired, I was hoping to get into cooking, but he is hard to please and it has left me with not much of a desire to cook. I hope chili could be a good start.
May I comment here? I feel your pain! I have found that what works for me in making a thick chili is adding extra beans. I love the brand “Ranch Style Beans”. Have you ever seen those in your grocery store? And my favorite chili seasoning is the “Williams Chili Seasoning”. I hope this might be of a bit of help for you! Would you like my recipe?
Ali, I hope it is ok for me to comment here!???
Hi there. My favorite chili recipe is from Paula Dean’s son, Jamie. It’s so flavorful, is thick but not too thick, makes a lot so have small freezer containers ready. Reheats wonderfully. I am a Floridian but I prepare it 8-10 times beginning mid October.
Use a Dutch oven because it does make a lot.
Hmmm…think I’ll do some this weekend and get my freezer stocked!
Have a blessed day!
hi Ali!
if i were to make your enchilada sauce with fresh green chilis how much should a i add?
Ali! Such a cute story and cute pups. We just cooked up your enchiladas with your homemade enchilada sauce. It’s amazing how easy it is to make! Super delicious and worth every minute. Hope you are loving Barcelona!!