All About ME...Or Not

Hey, Megan here. Earlier this week a reporter wanted to do an interview. I said sure, what's the focus of the article and how do you want to set it up? Got an answer on how we'd do it (via phone call). I checked out her articles, which were well done. So...
After exchanging pleasantries, she asked how old I am. [insert crickets chirping] Now, this isn't a secret among my family and friends, but... Is it relevant? Which is what I asked. She said absolutely. I countered with my many years of marriage being more relevant to my writing, my belief in HEA and working hard at marriage to make that HEA a reality. These things I bring to my writing.
I got a lecture on journalism. She got a...an explanation, lol, about privacy. I also wouldn't tell her the year of my graduation, although I did tell her my hometown and high school. She balked again and had to go to her editor for permission to continue.
So I emailed her my thanks for the offer and said, "also tell your editor that while I may tell you I have two kids, I won't tell you their names or ages either." Their lives are theirs to protect or flaunt as they wish.
There's not going to be an article. I can't be sorry about it except... EEKS I just turned down publicity. It makes me uneasy, to say the least. While part of me insists the important thing about me is my determination to improve my writing and my struggle to get published, there's that internal editor (nag) that says I should have just told her. My age is not a big deal, nor the date of my graduation. The kids, though...I draw the line there.
What do y'all think? Is a person's age that vital to an article? Should I submit all the details of my life for public consumption? Or is there a line?
Megan Kelly
The Marriage Solution, May 2011
www.megankellybooks.com

Monthly Favorite Recipes

Are you a fan of kale? I've always loved this leafy green vegetable. When I was a child we had it regularly, usually with hamburger steak and mashed potatoes. I often mixed my kale and mashed potatoes together, in a truly "child friendly" manner. It made my parents cringe but at least I was eating my veggies!

As an adult, I still love kale and buy it regularly at the grocery. Usually I wash, trim and boil it in a saucepan, then add a little salt and pepper and some lean bacon bits in lieu of the bacon grease my mother used when I was a child. I discard the stems in my compost heap.

Imagine my surprise when I opened the compost bin one day this spring and found two kale plants growing up toward the thin shaft of light coming in! I carefully dug the plants, which had rooted from those discarded stems, and transplanted them into the little garden area I'd planted with my granddaughter, Lilly. The plants took off and I now have my own fresh kale.

When I saw this recipe in Country Living Magazine, one of my favorite subscriptions, I couldn't wait to try it. However, I had to make a few changes. Here's the original:

http://www.countryliving.com/recipefinder/sauteed-pork-chops-kale-recipe-clv1010?click=recipe_sr

Here's the way I fixed the dish:

Sauteed Pork Chops with Kale

(Victoria Chancellor version)

In a large skillet, heat about 2 T. olive oil or a good vegetable oil, like canola

3 medium "sirloin cut" boneless pork chops (Note: These were on sale at Target but you could use any type of pork chops. If you use thick chops, however, make sure to increase cooking time.)

1/4 c. (approx.) chopped or thinly sliced onion

2 cloves garlic

Salt & pepper to taste (I also used some Old Bay Seasoning just because I like it!)

Approx. 2 cups or more kale, washed and trimmed

Add kale to about 1 to 1 1/2 cups water in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Cover and cook until just tender while you are preparing the pork chops.

Add seasoned pork chops to hot oil in skillet and brown on both sides. Add onions and garlic and continue to saute until onions are transparent. (Do not overcook garlic.) Drain kale and add to skillet. Saute kale with pork chops until fully cooked/wilted.

I served my dinner with Appaloosa Beans, a novelty type of dried beans I soaked and cooked. (They were very similar to Black-Eyed Peas.) Also, I served cornbread, with blueberry pie and vanilla ice cream for dessert.

Note: If you don't like kale, you could use fresh spinach or another green leafy vegetable.

I prepared this meal while I should have been finishing my July, 2011 Harlequin American Romance, The Texan and the Cowgirl, so I'm really glad my husband enjoyed it! I hope you like it, too. Best wishes for a wonderful October.