Gimme Some Oven

About Ali

Ali Martin from Gimme Some Oven

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

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656 comments on “About Ali”

  1. Most of your stir fry type recipes calls for oyster sauce but I can’t eat shell fish.
    Is there something else I could use or could I leave it out without ruining the taste?
    Thank you for responding. (I have found some great recipes from your site!)
    Char in IL.

    • Hi Char! You could use soy sauce or hoisin sauce instead. We hope this helps! :)

  2. Ali your blog and recipe page aré awesome you’re awesome.❤️?????????

  3. Hi Ali! I have a Frugalista Friday blog at the My Atlanta Moms Club site, and I would love to link to your great Aldi posts when I spotlight that store next week. I would also love to collaborate some time! I love your site!

    • Hey Megan! Sure thing, here’s a link to our content sharing guidelines — https://www.gimmesomeoven.com/content-sharing-policy/. So glad that you love ALDI too! :)

  4. Hey!

    I was reading your jumbolaya recipe (which I’m eager to try but your website kept getting hijacked every couple of seconds. I kept getting redirected about 7 times. Not sure if this has to do with a bad ad but it made it hard to capture the recipe. Just wanted to let you know! Keep up the good work! :)

    • Hi Amanda! Oh goodness, we’re so sorry! We’ve let our advertising guy know and he’s looking into it, so we’re working on it. We’re sorry for the crazy redirects!

  5. Ali—you are totally adorable! And, as I was perusing the Internet for a great chicken enchilada recipe , I found you and the greatest recipe ever! Never knew making the sauce was that easy. Thank you bunches for the great recipe. My new boyfriend will love it! Cheers and blessings upon you dear.

    • Thanks for your sweet words Doris! We hope your boyfriend loves the enchiladas! :)

  6. I do not typically send comments but I so needed to Thank you for you best ever fried rice recipe. I followed as many of your tips as possible, but didn’t have either the sesame oil or the oyster sauce, it was still so delicious. This is going into my top 10 recipes. It tasted as close to good restaurant fried rice as I ever tasted. 5 stars for sure.
    Julie

    • We’re so happy you loved it, Julie! We appreciate you giving the recipe a try and we appreciate your sweet comment! :)

  7. Dear Ali

    Made your chocolate chip skillet cookie recipe last night for my daughter’s 15th birthday, it was incredible, everyone enjoyed. So easy and quick.

    Thank you for sharing.

    Best,

    Wendy

    • Hi Wendy! Thanks for your sweet words — we’re so happy to know this was a hit for your daughter’s party! :)

  8. Ali! I follow you on Instagram and LOVE your passion for life! I’m headed to the grocery now to pick up some ingredients for this fab dip. A food-loving girlfriend of mine turns 25 tomorrow and I can’t wait for her to try this …. okay and tell her about you, too!

    • Thanks, Peyton — we’re not sure which dip you’re referring to, but we hope you and your friend enjoy it!

  9. Your recipes are amazing. They are all so appealing to all members of the family. Budget friendly, easy enough for those who can’t spend all day in the kitchen and have minimal skills. Having a child with dairy, egg and nut allergies I am constantly looking for healthy alternatives that don’t take all day or are too expensive. Your blog is entertaining and by far is one of my go-to sites. Keep up the good work!

    • Thank you for your kind words, Karen — we’re so happy to know you and your family enjoy the blog! :)

  10. I love your recipes!! The slow cooker chicken teriyaki is so amazing, my friend even asked me to make it for him for his special birthday dinner last month, he likes it so much. I downloaded the slow cooker potato soup and crispy carnitas to try as well, can’t wait!! I look forward to your posts in my email box. Keep it up!!

    Have a great day!
    Laura Korhonen
    reader from Vancouver, Canada. :)

  11. Thanks for this great blog! I am stoked to have come across it! I am a recent college graduate and just starting to gain the art of cooking!  I appreciate how much work you put into this blog. 

  12. Hey Ali! I just wanted to tell you that I specifically look for your blogs and recipes on my Pinterest! As there is not a single recipe that I have not tried! Today I am making the potatoe soup! It’s raining and breezy in central Illinois! And it goes great with college football game day! Keep the recipes coming! I love them all! 

    • Thanks for your sweet words, William — we’re so happy to hear that! We hope you enjoyed the soup! :)

  13. Hi!
    I made this recipe with brown rice and is delicious.  My family will never eat brown rice any other way.
    Thanks!!

    • Hi there! We’re not sure which recipe you’re referring to, since you left the comment on the “About Ali” page. Do you mean the fried rice? Either way, we’re happy you and your family enjoyed it! :)

  14. Hey Ali – I’m pretty new to your site and I just wanted to say I have already made your fabulous chicken enchiladas twice ! And of course, I have also made the homemade sauce as well. Soo easy and delicious !

    I actually made such a big batch of enchiladas (18) that I froze about half of them after I had baked them.
    I gently wrapped them in foil and then slid them into a gallon size freezer bag. When I went to reheat them, they came out perfectly ! No weird wateriness or anything. All I did was let them thaw awhile and then when I reheated in the oven I covered them with foil and then heated them at 360 ( since they were just a bit frozen) for 20 minutes. You never would have known they were reheated. They were perfect ! Thanks again for the great recipe ! I can’t wait to try your garlic salmon. YUM !

    • Hi Debi! Thanks for taking the time to share this with us — we’re so happy you enjoyed the sauce and the enchiladas, and that reheating them after freezing went well! :)

  15. Hey there,

    I have been on your site for about 20 minutes now and I have to say it is one of the most amazing things I have ever come across.

  16. Hi there,

    I’ve been on your site for about 20 minutes now and I must say it is one of the most amazing things I have ever come across.
    I’m 21 years old, and I have NEVER been good at cooking or baking, anything that involves food really. Therefore, I haven’t had a very healthy diet these last couple years. Well for a while now I’ve wanted to live a healthier life style, and well.. I go to the gym regularly so that’s a plus but I’ve had troubles when it comes to what I’ve been putting into my body. I recently moved to the city with my best friend, and feel there is no better time to start fresh than right now. Especially with all the fast food that is now surrounding me daily, it would be so easy just to “pick something up” when I’m hungry since I’m not good at cooking anyways. Well, I don’t want to go down that road anymore, so I searched healthy recipes and came across your website. My mind is blown. I think you have done an amazing job just organizing it and I don’t know how many times my jaw has dropped while searching through all the different recipes you have because of how delicious something sounds. Your website has inspired me so much, and it has actually given me hope and belief that I CAN cook, and it will taste good. I could not believe that there were actual healthier alternatives that III thought would taste good! I swear I’ve probably printed about 100 different recipes already. And I have not even checked out the rest of your site yet but I know I’m going to love it. So basically I just wanted to let you know that I think what you are doing is amazing and I will definitely be referring back to your site all the time. I just want to host parties and make dinner for everyone now. :P Thank you for inspiring me :)

  17. love the skinny fettucine recipe,especially sauce for chicken alfredo thank you so much

  18. I just saw that you’re a Shauna Niequist fan….your blog reminds me a bit of her books. very nice :)

  19. I tried the crock pot chicken enchilada  soup and it was delicious! Thank you! I’m allergic to garlic, but I used a substitute, asofitedae (spelling?) and it worked well. Now that I’ve found your blog, I’ll return to try more. 

  20. Hi there.. Thot I will just keep you posted.. I saw your pic of lemon blueberry muffin shared by dollop_ofsunshine on instagram claiming she made them and pics by her.Didnt find any credits given to you. I have noticed this user sharing pics of other bloggers on her social media claiming as her own.
    Best regards

    • Oh my goodness, thank you so much for the heads up, we appreciate you letting us know!

  21. Love your slow cooker Butternut Squash soup! Wonderful stuff. My husband and I decided to plant butternut squash next year in our little garden because of your soup :)

  22. I did not know you were in KC. I’ve been following you for a good year and had no idea! Love your post on product photography! Thanks again!

  23. Great!! Grazie from  Italy

  24. Tried your Enchilada red sauce last night and it was amazing. Made my wife very happy..happy wife, happy life! Will be saving your page for future ideas.

  25. Many years ago I learned to bake squash whole. Solved the problem of cutting a very hard vegetable. I have found that baking whole squash actually adds to the flavor of the squash.  Try it. Saves a lot of work.  I have taken over cooking since I am retired and enjoy any cooking sites on the internet. Saves a little on the wifes work load, although I find I am doing more and more other than cooking.

  26. Hi Ali,

    What a beautiful website, and I mean beautiful. I tried the silicone mat for spreading out dough, and then saw the Bethany boards for rolling out dough. I ordered one and like it a lot more. It’s the same kind that my mom always used. It’s also fun to sprinkle flour onto the surface.
    I have trouble with the fluted edges sagging while baking.
    I will try letting the dough rest after placing in the pie dish.
    Maybe that will help.
    Thanks for your website!

    Larry

    • Thanks for your sweet comment, Larry — we’re so happy you enjoy the blog and we hope you find the pie tips helpful! :)

  27. I love your blog! I’d rather read a blog, then shop in the store. Honesty is what makes us a community! Being of Italian/Midwest decent, now cooking for 1. Thanks!

  28. I love cooking and baking as well!
    I’ve reading ur recipes , I’m very happy to become one of your fans!

  29. you did not tell how much of any thing to measure for the snow cream 1 cup sugar? 1 tes. salt ?or 2 cups milk???????????

    • Hi there. The specific ingredient amounts are listed in the snow cream post (in the recipe box), at the bottom of the page. We hope you enjoy!

  30. Hi Ali- I made your French Silk Pie today and would love to feature your recipe on my blog. May I have your blessing, please? :) …Happy holidays, Julie

    • Hi Julie, we’re glad to hear that! You’re most welcome to feature the recipe on your blog (thanks for asking) :) please just make sure you attribute recipe/photo credit and link back.

  31. Wow!!!! This is a totally cool website, and idea Ali! We all love it! (You’ve included all the favorites of practically everyone, wherever they live, or grew up.)

    All of your potato recipeas, are always going to be a favorite of my family and friends & I forever….. (Especially your “Creamy Ham and potato soup. While everyone in all the classes, in the schools that I’ve went to, and graduated from will always fall in love with your “Easy Peruvian Shrimp” item, and video to learn even more about.

    I’ve never been so curious and interested in these very good ideas you’ve listed and have given to all of us to make for ourselves. Thank you very much Ali! (I can tell I’m gonna love all of them in which I try to make like you have…)

    • Thanks for your sweet words about the blog, Bregg — we hope you enjoy making some of these recipes! :)

  32. I made the Rigatoni with Mushrooms and Rosemary for our New Year’s Eve dinner.  My husband doesn’t like cheese so I left out the Parmesan.  I also added a shredded whole rotosserie chicken with garlic bread on the side.  WOW, what fabulous meal.  Thank you so much!  We are looking forward to adding this to our weekly meal rotation.  Happy 2017!

    • We’re so happy you and your husband enjoyed it, Linda! Happy 2017 to you as well! :)

  33. First time visiting you But I know already “ILL BE BACK!!’ I pulling my frozen chicken breast out and brine > which I’ve never done before. Then off to bake with BUTTER , which in my opinion..what is better than butter????? Thanks for sharing your talents !!

  34. Beautiful Blog, thanks for all the great gluten recipes!

  35. I use your site all the time! I mean, like 3x/week. I would really, really LOVE to see a cookbook that has a lot of your “greatest hits” recipes. Just FYI!

  36. Not too far away… Nebraska!!  I just started following you on Instagram… my new obsession..lol.  I’m also going to share you on FB with my list as I think your sites are amazing and I love the variety and the over all goodness of your recipes.  Homemade..what I grew up on is soon important and there’s nothing that can take it’s place.  I love the healthy piece in your recipes and also the over all yummy factor is amazing!  Thanks!!!

  37. I have been looking for a recipe for a homemade lemon meringue pie . It looks like a pie my family has made .

  38. Your web site had a great feel to it. It feels like walking into a clean kitchen. I really appreciate the training you shared on keyword search. Thanks!

  39. Good morning Ali,

    I want to say that you have inspired me a lot to cook in the kitchen! I absolutely love your recipes! And I wanted to congratulate you on being such a successful food blogger!

    I came across your Zoodles recipe and I myself would like to purchase a spiralizer. Which one do you recommend me buying?

    Thank you in advance!

    Lina

    • Hi Lina! Thanks for your sweet words — we’re go glad the blog has inspired you to cook more! :) As for the spiralizer, we can’t say enough good things about this one (it’s the best)!

  40. Hi Ali ! Been following a lot of you’re recipes and have not been disappointed ! You’re awesome !!❤️❤️❤️

  41. Ali,

    I visited your blog for the first time, was impressed by your recipe for fried rice, and though I’m not much of a chef, I easily followed your excellent instructions. Unfortunately, I didn’t take any pictures, but I plan on making the rice again and will send photos at that time. I’m 84 and married, but I think I’m in love with you, or maybe it’s your cooking.

    My wife has never been a fan of fried rice, but she had to admit that she really liked the rice.

    My only complaint was that the recipe didn’t create as much fried rice as I wanted. Tomorrow I will double what is called for.

    Keep up the good work.

    Alan Marcus

    • Thanks for your sweet words, Alan — we’re so happy you enjoyed the fried rice! :)

  42. Hi Ali, like many of us, we put our own spin on food though often they result in unintended consequences and we step on a culture’s toes, which I found in your enchilada recipe. I found your use of flour tortillas to be unauthentic. Corn tortillas are authentic to both enchiladas and tacos. Flour tortillas are used in burritos. Using flour tortillas in an enchilada recipe would result in a soggy mess. My Mexican grandmother and my mother would turn over in their graves if we didn’t speak up and to keep our culture’s food authentic..

    • Hi Olivia! We appreciate your feedback and we definitely recognize that flour tortillas for enchiladas are not authentic. We used them in the recipe because we prefer them to corn tortillas, but we encourage folks to use corn tortillas if they prefer! :)

  43. Why is it called oven co con vin when it is cooked on the stove?

    • Hi Fran! We think you may have meant to leave a comment on the Coq Au Vin recipe? Coq Au Vin translates to chicken cooked with wine.

  44. Man you are so talented! I just found your blog by accident and I could not stop going clicking to the next page and the next page. Cant wait to try these recipes, they look so delicious!

  45. I always make my own pie crusts ’cause my family loves them. They are flaky and yummy and not hard and tasting like cardboard like store-bought pies. You say you use pre-made pie crusts so what brand would you recommend? Once in a while it would be time-saving to use one. Thank you.

    • Hi Jane! We’ll actually make our own from scratch and keep them in the freezer, but if you want store-bought, we feel like Pillsbury works fine. We hope this helps!

  46. Can the chicken enchilada casserole be made as a half recipe? Sounds so good but don’t want to have so much .
    Thank you

  47. Hi! Just wanted to let you know the jambalaya recepie is freakin amazing! Huge hit with my husband and perfect for Mardi Gras. Can’t wait to try more of your recipies!

    • Thank you for sharing, Angeline — we’re thrilled that you guys loved it! :D

  48. First of all congratulations on your upcoming wedding!! My daughters and I follow your blog and have made several of your recipes. We are big fans.

    I’m a 55 year old mom to two daughters and one son. My 28 year old daughter and her husband are moving to Kansas City from San Antonio Texas this May. He got accepted to Nurse Anethesist School at the Truman Medical Center. I was hoping that you could suggest an area or areas one might find an Apt. within walking distance to restaurants and shops. There budget is @1,200.00. We would appreciate any advice you could give us. Thanks, Susie

  49. Hey Ali! I’ve tried at least 10 of your dishes and they have all been DELISH! My family and friends have also become huge fans of my cooking, thanks to you :) Will definitely continue trying out your featured recipes!

    • Thank you so much, Antoinette — we’re so happy you’re enjoying the blog! :)

  50. Try replacing corn with hominy, I think it gives Mexican flavored soups MORE of a Mexican flavo