About Ali
Hey! I’m Ali, and I am so happy that you found your way here to Gimme Some Oven.
I created this little corner of the internet to celebrate life around the table and the good food that bring us all together. Here in our house, we gravitate towards recipes that are quick, easy, seasonal, (mostly) healthy, and big on flavor. So whether that’s whipping up a quick stir-fry or batch of cozy wild rice soup in the wintertime, blending up some refreshing gazpacho with sangria in the summertime, making our millionth batch of tacos and margs on Tuesdays, or baking up a warm batch of cinnamon rolls and eggs benny for sunny weekend brunches — my heart is never more happy than when my table is filled with good food and good people gathered ’round.
If that sounds like your style too, you’ve got a kindred spirit right here. ♡
A bit about me.
When I began this blog back in 2009, I was working as a full-time musician by day and cooking up a storm by night. Now, I have the privilege of doing all of the recipe-developing and writing for this site as my full-time job. And more than a decade into blogging, I can honestly say that I still absolutely love it. Seeing the recipes that I create here in my tiny kitchen show up on your tables around the world makes my heart deeply so happy, and I work hard to be sure that this site continues to be a trustworthy resource for you to turn to.
Beyond the blog, I’m a born-and-raised Kansas girl who’s currently living the expat life for awhile in Barcelona, Spain. We try to make the most of those crazy-cheap RyanAir tickets and travel on the weekends around Europe as much as possible. But when we’re home, you can find us soaking up sunny terraces with friends, taking the pups for long walks along the shore, enjoying endless tapas and glasses of vermut, and just enjoying our cozy little apartment here in the city center.
To follow more along with life and reflections behind-the scenes, feel free to follow my personal Instagram account. And for anyone interested, I also share there about our infertility and IVF journey too.
A bit about my food philosophy.
So what kinds of recipes will you see here on Gimme Some Oven?
Short answer: a little bit of everything.
The food that I share on the blog is the food that we eat here in our home. And as an omnivore married to a vegetarian, the majority of the meals in our house are now plant-based. (So some of you long-time readers may notice that meat dishes have become less common on here.) One of the things I also love about living in Barcelona is that the markets here are strictly seasonal — as in, you couldn’t find fresh watermelon or tomatillos here in December if you tried — which has been great extra motivation to cook with seasonal produce as much as possible.
The majority of our meals during the weekdays fall in the 30-minutes-or-less category. But I also love cozying up with a hot cup of coffee or a glass of wine on the weekends and diving into recipes that require a bit more time, like our favorite Swedish cinnamon buns or Spanish paellas or DIY maki rolls for “Sushi Sundays.” You may notice that we also have a major weakness for Mexican food, noodles of all kinds, soups and various kinds of cookies around here. And while most of my recipes are on the healthier side, I definitely also enjoy indulging in some indulgent sweets and comfort foods on occasion.
So as always, please always feel free to take whatever recipes you love on here and leave the rest. And if you ever have specific recipe requests, don’t hesitate to let me know because I love to cook what you’re craving!
Thank you.
More than anything, I just want to say thank you so much for being here, and I hope that this site can play some small part in making your days a little brighter and tastier. Cheers, everyone. ♡
Love,
Ali
I just want to say, as an expat living in Japan, I am LOVING all your tips and tricks. I have to sub or adjust or edit almost any recipe I find simply because I can’t find the ingredients or it’s too expensive. So you substitution suggestions are fabulous. Thank you! I love your sty. And will definitely be coming back to your site often.
Can’t wait to make the hot & sour soup.
Also someone mentioned in comments about your French Onion Soup recipe. Could you please share it with me
Thanks
Love this photo and the little black and tan dog.
Hi Ms. Ali! I am glad that I am here and found your website. You were such an amazing person. Thank you so much!
-April
Your red sauce recipe is the BOMB! Love your taco seasoning recipe too!
I made your naan recipe after I couldn’t find the one I had been using after my computer crashed. Yours used honey instead of sugar, and the addition of an egg. My naan were fluffier, chewier, and larger than with the previous recipe. I have bookmarked it and will be using it weekly; so good!!!!
Thank you for the recipe I will definitely be revisiting.
Hi Ali, I was looking for a recipe for gazpacho and stumbled upon your blog. I envy you your time in Barcelona!
My wife and I spent a month in 2019 traveling across Catalan, Basque country and Galicia. We spent a short but memorable time in Barcelona. Intended to return for 3 month stay in Valencia but the pandemic had other ideas. So maybe a little later. I’m going to try your gazpacho recipe for a brunch with friends in a couple of weeks. Need to practice first. We were in Spain during the month of May so didn’t find any gazpacho but gobs of pintxo/pinchos – (a novelty to us). Many, many moons ago I did have some gazpacho at a friend’s house in Granada. So delicious. Let’s see how my gazpacho turns out.
I am from Kansas too! :)
My BF and I love your spicy cabbage soup.
Hey Ali,
Just wanted to say I adoooooore you and your blog! The design, the fresh recipes, the colours and your writing style is out of this world. I am a blogger myself (only for half year) and know how much work it is.
Everything looks so delicious and appetizing, and you put so much work into your business.
Well done!!
Lot’s of love from London,
Jula from the-rainbow-recipes.con
Hello Ali,
I have been involved in catering for over 40 years now; not as a chef but as a general manager. Many times throughout my career though, I have had to jump into the kitchen because the chef called in sick or threw his cap into the fryer and quit. So when assigned to new pub/restaurant, I always designed the menus around my own limited capabilities. Over the years, I have learnt that the hearth is the home! People just love home made food. So I stopped employing “Chefs”, and employed “Cooks”… Mums, school dinner ladies or just talented home cooks who had a little flair. And it works!
I tripped over your website entirely by accident, but I am so glad I did. It delivers simplicity, practicality and flavour! So well done you; I will be back regularly.
I have had the great pleasure to make a few of your dishes since discovering your blog a couple of years ago. Sometimes I just search ingredients and I am delighted when an option from you pops up. I am now following you on pinterest (yes, I am a late social media bloomer). Anyway, just a quick note here to say “Thanks so much!” You have a positive impact on my efforts in the kitchen.
All the best,
Alastair
I am new to using dutch ovens — I have several questions, please?
One — If using an enameled dutch oven, what size is the best for your bread recipe?
Two — Can one use an enameled stainless steel (or aluminum) enameled dutch oven?
Or ONLY cast-iron-type dutch ovens?
Three — I read that one should NOT heat (in oven or on stovetop) an empty dutch
oven or the enamel will crack and then start to flake off. Is this true? So what to do?
Four — Do you always use All-Purpose flour or Bread flour?
Thank you a million times over if you really answer these questions! I am very grateful.
I must say, this will be a first to comment on a blog site but with all due respect you have earned any/all kudos bc the recipes ate phenomenal my family has enjoyed the one pot Mac & Cheese dish and I now have a fan following, lol I can hardly wait to try this Egg Roll Soup I’m certain it will be another hit. God bless you and your family & stay safe.
You are very nice, I have been writing from Dubai:)) I have learned so many things from you. I wanted to say “thank you” ❤️🙏❤️ Also I have three boys ❤️
We made your chicken enchiladas with your sauce. My husband said the best enchiladas he has ever had. We used to live in a big city with authentic Mexican food so his comment is a great compliment. When I saw 1/4 chili powder I freaked because I can’t do spicy. But I was able to eat without any problems. I can’t wait to continue to follow you for more tasty and quick meals. Thxs
Hello Ali,
Thank you for creating and sharing so many fantastic recipes. Whenever I see that you have a new post,
I get a cup of coffee, take a relaxing breath and know that I’m going to be taken away to your kitchen in Barcelona. Your recipes are wonderful and your photos make it personalized. Such enriching reading!
Thank you,
Mary Parshall
I love your column and open every email. But I was all set to try the salted brownie bites – esp for a friend who has diabetes – when I couldn’t find the nutrition information. Could you please add it to the recipe and let me know when you do? Thank you so much. It makes such sense that you’re a musician as well!
Hi Ali, I have come across so many recipes from you and I am a huge fan. I love the tips and tricks. I’m so happy I found your site.
Thank you Ali! I’m old at heart and in person..lol. I found some of your recipes and will be trying them here very shortly. Your articles make me smile…Thanks. Kathy
Thank You for your enthusiasm for sharing recipes. I share your love of cooking .I sometimes make foods with my own twist on a certain dish ,but if I can join your blog I won’t have to do that your recipes have done that for me.
Good Morning,
I am trying to preserve family recipes to share with my daughters and nieces. What site do you use for your recipes sharing?
Thank you,
Janet
So happy I came across your website Ali. I just bought a 5 lb bag of organic yellow Masa Harina to make tortillas and I have no idea how to do this. Thankfully I’ve come across your site and you’ve shown me what to do. One question, I have a 6″ diameter cookie cutter which I was hoping to use to cut the tortillas. This means rolling the whole dough out and cutting 6″ circles. I also have a 2″ cookie scoop, but I bought the 6″ cutter especially to make tortillas. What do you think, will this work also? By the way, I’ve just spent the last hour looking at a number of your recipes, and they look fantastic. It’s the end of October here in Canada, so the weather definitely calls for soups and stews. I’ve printed a number of your recipes, and will be back another time to check out the rest of them. Thanks so much, and how’s the weather in Spain? Best Regards, Alice
Just wanted to say that I am so glad I found your site. Your recipes are delicious and I frequent it often to cook meals. Thank you.
I want to make these but need to know the carbs. My granddaughter is type 1 diabetic and we need to know all carbs she eats. Thank you
Thanks, Ali I am trying your scalloped potatoes recipe this Thanksgiving.
Love your web page! I am on it daily looking for recipes.
Dear Ali,
Thank you for sharing your sweet Barcelona home and telling how you are so happy about your cooking recipes. I am fairly new at most of these things and looking forward to trying some new recipes. Your new apartment looks really wonderful but with your expertise I wonder where you put everything in that very tiny kitchen. I’m in a small apartment too and it’s a real challenge to find a place to put everything. After seeing your small kitchen I rest assured that I could do anything in mine. Have a happy time with your dear husband and your two lovely Doggies and I shall now pick out some recipes and explore. Have a merry Christmas. I am writing from West Vancouver British Columbia.
Hi Ali,
Would it be possible to freeze potions of the Garlic Parmesan Mashed Sweet Potatoes once they are made? I find cooking for two difficult after growing up in a large family and having my own children, plus having some meals already made can make life easier on busy days in field service. Thank you for a great recipe!
I was having coffee with Doozie yesterday and he turned me on to your site. I am on a low carb diet and am looking for recipes. I have a lot of pronghorn meat which is ground up with pork which we eat a lot. With the low carb diet I am moving toward a lot more plant based recipes. I am looking forward to exploring you site.
Thank you Ali! You saved our Christmas Eve Dinner.
I have a son who adores dinner rolls. The person who was supposed to bring them couldn’t come at the last minute. I needed a recipe quick, you (and your recipe) came along and saved the day. I needed fast, I needed super tasty, and yours rocked. Sam said they were the best rolls he has ever eaten…and they took 1 hour, not
four!!!!! Thanks you! Merry Christmas.
Do you have a cookbook? And if so, what is or their titles?
Love this RECIPE !! This was missing something EVERY TIME I made it though! A touch of All spice 😍
Ali, I just wanted to say thank you for your Fried Rice recipe. I was looking for something with all of the ingredients I had on hand, and your recipe fit the bill!
It was so simple, yet so tasty for my family of 5 (including 2 teenage boys that are always hungry 😋).
I also added the leftover chicken to our meal and it was delish! Thanks again. I appreciate your time and effort into sharing these simple yet tasty recipes! 😊
Jennifer
SO GREAT! you’re a big inspiration! Please share tips on how you live abroad as an American. Did you apply for VISAS ahead of time? Is this hard? Also, it’s so cool to see you traveling with your dogs, how did you do that? How long do they have to be quarantined? We’ve been making your recipes for a while and they’re all great. Cheers to living a wonderful life, Ali
I just fell in love with your blog even before I tried anything ❤️. You have a beautiful style of writing. The internet shepherded me to your blog when I was looking for ideas on how I could put to use the abundance of grapefruit that I ended up buying from Costco. (I am swearing to not get fruit from there unless I am having a party 🙃). Planning to get some tequila to try the grapefruit margarita today. Ciao
I’m an Iowa girl and I adore you. You cook my kind of food, Mexican and pasta, my favorites. I’ve been making your enchilada sauce for over 2 years and its the only one I use. I will add a little unsweetened dark chocolate when I remember. I saw my Hispanic Mother in Law do it. I usually follow your recipe the way you make it though because it’s perfect. Thank you for coming into our kitchen and sharing your recipes with us :)
What a small world! I’ve been perusing your recipes online and just discovered you’re from my hometown. Hello from Doo-Dah! Thanks for all the goodness.
Dear Ali:
I’ve been following your blog for probably close to five years now. You are, hands down, my absolute fave! Your recipes are fresh and delicious every single time. I never worry about whether a recipe will taste good – it always does. And, my family loves it! Just wanted to take a moment to let you know that you rock!!
Happy Valentine’s Day!
Hi Ali,
I discovered your website by chance while looking for a recipe for cinnamon rolls (which was great..thank you!) and fell in love with your writing style as well as the beautiful pictures when I was living in the US. I moved to Barcelona about 1 month ago and haven’t figured out where to buy ingredients, particularly baking ingredients such as good quality flour, yeast, spices, extracts and chocolate – chips, cocoa powder, bar – in addition to baking pans and other supplies. Do you have any favorites you can share? I would really appreciate it and looking forward to trying more of your recipes as well as reading more of your posts when you get a chance. Your stories have been very inspirational for me in choosing to live in Barcelona!
Thank you!
Hi Cristina, welcome to BCN! It’s always a bit of a scavenger hunt here trying to find ingredients/supplies. Gadgets Cuina is my go-to for most bakeware and supplies, and they carry quite a few extracts as well. Taste of America for Hershey’s chocolate chips and vanilla extract. Most grocery stores carry mini chocolate chips, yeast (levadura de reposteria), and spices, but you can find regular-sized chocolate chips at granel stores or online. To approximate American all-purpose flour, look in the nutrition facts for basic harina that has 10g protein. (I just buy mine at Aldi.) Best tip – join the Ingredient Hunters BCN group on FB. Suerte! :)
Hi Ali!
I ran across your blog today completely by chance and wanted to tell you the quick story! I use MSN.com for reading news articles while at work and one of your recipes (5-Ingredient White Chicken Chili) popped up in the feed and caught my eye. This will make more sense in a second. I am born and raised in your neighboring state, Oklahoma (there’s the love of an easy chili recipe reference) and still live here, in OKC.
Coincidentally, I am traveling for the first time to Spain next month with my boyfriend and we’ll be visiting my (much younger) sister who is in Barcelona now, doing the second half of her GAP year. We will be primarily in Madrid during our visit but are planning to take the bullet train to Barca for an entire day, if not overnight. She will have moved with her program to Seville by the time we get there so hopefully we’ll get a chance to spend a little time there too.
As I navigated through your website, I noticed that you now live in Barca and have SO many great travel recs as well as for Madrid! I have been on your site for at least an hour now and have found it so thorough and helpful that I sent it to my sister as well. In fact, I’m taking notes and copying various links to some of your recommendations for myself and our upcoming trip. I’ll be downloading the Barca walking guide too.
Anyhow, thank you for posting this and for making it so easy to explore. I’m very much looking forward to being there and discovering all that we can in the time allotted. I appreciate your dedication to passing along great eating and travel recommendations. And what a crazy coincidence to boot! The stars do align every once in a while :)
Thanks again!
Blair
Wonderful food and cozy for my soul.Thank you for your knowledge of comfort foods.
I can’t tell from the picture, but wondered if you’re a military spouse? I was blessed to live 9 years in England as an Air Force spouse and managed to get to Germany, Italy, Croatia and Greece and loved them all. And running, we lived there 1988-91, then again 2002-08. The difference that being part of the EU made on British food was a huge plus! So I’m jealous of your living in Barcelona! Your gumbo recipe sold me on you as a cook since I’m born and bred in New Orleans, but your recipe was spot on! And lol, my mom was from Lawrence, KS and learned to make an awesome gumbo living in the NOLA area for 45 years so, seeing you’re from Kansas was cool! I’ll definitely be looking for more recipes! Thanks! L’aissez les bon temps roulez! (Said often in NOLA, Let the Good Times Roll!)
I love your Barcelona blog and then to find out you are a foodie who’s favorite food is Mexican food-wow! Your recipes sound amazing. I cooked for my brother growing up when my parents separated. Then worked as a chef-line cook at a French hotel restaurant. We travel a lot and love Europe especially. We do a lot of entertaining -my husband is in the restaurant business currently owning 9 in Florida. I have gotten into the sourdough craze as well. Your wedding looked fabulous. We will be traveling to Barcelona after first going to Normandy, then a VBT trip on Majorca and ending in Barcelona for two nights.
Last November we enjoyed a beautiful trip in Puglia-(Bari, Molfetta, Ostuni, Lecce with many small towns in between) with 3 nights in Rome at the St Regis.
Anyway so glad to happen into your blog. Thank you are you still in Barcelona?
These roasted chickpeas were so amazing last night in my spinach and avocado salad!! My husband couldn’t stop talking about them!! Sooo good that I’m making that same salad tonight!! I’m glad I found your website & look forward to trying more recipes!! xoxo
I just discovered your site and may I say I think you have saved my day (actually, saved my dinner tonight). Your style is so friendly and helpful. So I say, THANK YOU! I will subscribe today.
Sincerely,
Anne McCarthy
Amazing! a clean, smart site to learn. I am experimenting and learning about Farro and found your site. I am hard to impress but you managed…. I don’t like all the fluffy blogs or cooking sites. I want to know all the basics, quick and simple with great photos. I am going to be spending more time on your site. Thank you!
So excited to try your recipes
Hi Ali!
Thank you so much for creating this blog!
When I cook according to your recipes, it always turns out looking great and delicious!
And I love the quick and easy approach.
30 mins is the most I can dedicate to the kitchen.
Very grateful for this!
Ohb nice I love cooking too, nice to meet you