I’ve tried a lot of recipes for black beans, and while they’re all tasty, it turns out that this one — prepared on a whim — is the most flavorful that I’ve come across. It’s loosely based on the frijoles negros recipe from 3 Guys From Miami. Their cookbook is one of my few go-to…
Author Archives: Alisa
This is Your Captain Speaking: Coordinating a Fundraising Raffle
I have a really hard time asking anyone for anything. I’ve always been a self-sufficient, fend-for-myself kind of person, which is why fundraising for Team in Training has always been a challenge. Don’t get me wrong: you’ve all been very generous about supporting me and the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society’s mission. But first I have…
Change: I’m Really, REALLY Impressed with Skechers GOrun
A while back, I was contacted by someone at Skechers. They had seen my quest to find the right running shoes and asked if I would be interested in reviewing a pair of their new GOrun minimalist shoes. I have to admit, my first thought was, “Skechers? Really?” No offense to the brand, but I think…
Training: My IT Band is Angry
Last week, I went on my usual Monday morning hike with two friends. On the way back, my knee started getting very unhappy. By the time I got back to the car, I emailed a fellow runner and described the pain as “stabby.” While it felt more isolated in my knee while I was hiking,…
Lasagna Roll-Ups
So there we were, on a Saturday night. It was already 5:00 and I’d given zero thought to dinner. So I polled the boys. The Tiny Kitchen Assistant requested pasta. My husband groaned. “It’s Saturday night,” he said. “I don’t want a quickie, throwaway dinner.” I was more than a little bit annoyed because maybe,…
Betty Says: Just Talk
Over the past few months, I found myself repeatedly crossing paths with a woman who looked like a serious runner. She had the gear, the KT tape… she was definitely a “real” runner. Naturally, I thought that she was completely out of my league. And then, one day, as I slogged away on the elliptical…
Change: Giving Acupuncture a Try
With everything that’s been going on in the past few months, I decided that it was time for a change. While I’m still a Western medicine girl, born and bred, I decided to step outside the box and give acupuncture a try. Why? Because my conversation with the acupuncturist was the first one of the…
Training: Remember When I Used to Post About My Training?
Ok, I’ve been a bit of a posting slacker lately, but really, there wasn’t much to report for quite some time. But last Sunday, I ran the Race to Stop the Silence 8K in Washington, DC. I had many things to talk about after that, but seeing how I was traveling and tired… well, it…
Cacio e Pepe (Cheese and Pepper Pasta)
There was a time when I believed that Cooking (with a capital C) required two dozen ingredients, preferably ingredients that were difficult for mere mortals to find. Over time, I came to understand that simpler combinations of ingredients often merged to create more satisfying results. This pasta came about when the Tiny Kitchen Assistant requested,…
Betty Says: Life Lessons Learned While Traveling
I just got back from a week-long combination business/personal tour of the east coast, and I came to a few interesting revelations that seem obvious in hindsight, but gave me those “a-ha!” moments at the time. Once-in-a-lifetime opportunities trump everything else. I was in New York City on Thursday, the day after my presentation at…