Rick Podowski and The Hefty Trio Presents: May 2013

Death of a Foster Child

Death of a Foster Child explores the guilt felt when the foster placement of a teenage girl in the home of Rick Podowski and his wife failed. To complicate matters, the foster child was brutally murdered and the authorities have accused her of selling drugs on the school campus and by implication asserted that the foster parents allowed this behavior. Rick Podowski with the help of Leti Ramos, Erin McGinty and Teresa Spinelli, also know as The Hefty Trio, investigate what really happened.

In the process of investigating, they discover the world of drug sales on the high school campus, the underlying challenges facing students in a gang infested school, as well as the difficulties faced by special education students. The reader will experience the frustrations of foster parents when faced with a system that is designed to keep the children dependent. Suggestions to improve foster care and move the children towards independence are provided at the end of the book.

From Chapter 9

Tessora's Barra di Vino, a wine bar tucked away in one of the side alleys at the Pruneyard Shopping Center, was one of Rick’s favorite places. That evening, he and the Hefty Trio were seated at one of the eight tables while a man in the corner played soft jazz on his guitar. An Irish Potato Casserole was first on the white board listing the small plates specials for the night. Elaine, as she often did, had excused herself because she had filing to do at the office.

"I'll take the potato casserole," Rick said, "and a glass of Windy Oaks Pinot Noir. This is an incredible wine that Elaine and I are particularly fond of."

"I'm having the potato casserole, too," Erin said. "My Irish grandmother used to make this dish all the time. Remember Rick, I gave you a copy of my recipe?"

"And I made it," Rick said. "It was absolutely delicious. Let’s see what Tessora’s does with it."

"I want protein," Leti announced. "Just get me the cheese and chicken burrito and a glass of the Syrah. I trust Rick's taste, but only in wine."

Teresa also ordered a burrito and, of course, the same wine.

"I want to say a few things about the winery," Rick really wanted to move the conversation to his issue, but he knew from experience that some small talk was in order first. "The winery is at 900 feet and they grow mostly Pinot Noir grapes. What we are drinking is their cheaper wine—the Terra Narro. What I like is their hundred percent wild yeast pinot. The yeast is on the grapes and they just use it to start the fermentation.”

"This wine is absolutely wonderful," Erin said. "I've had their Pinot Cuvée and I was in heaven."

"Was it your first or fifth glass?" Leti said, smiling, although Rick could tell that she, as well as the others, was eager to get to the subject that had brought them together. Before he could begin, Teresa broke the impasse.

"Why did you and Elaine decide to take in a foster child?" Teresa asked. "I've never met anyone who had success with these children."

"I was content with our three cats," Rick began repeating a line that he seemed to be saying continually, lately. "But, it was something that Elaine had always wanted to do. She never raised a daughter, and she wanted to give her advice about boys, help her buy clothes, and bond in a way that only females can."

“So it was Elaine who wanted the child,” Erin said. “I had a suspicion that was the case.”

But it was not as simple as that and Rick knew it. He and Elaine both had their answers handily prepared. She had told her therapist that he was testing out a theory and this was the answer that he thought would sit best with the three women who were his closest friends. But that didn’t get to the heart of the problem and he knew it. The truth was they had taken a step, which had led to so much unhappiness because there was a hole in their relationship and they wanted to fill it with children. Because of their age, they couldn’t have children of their own or adopt a newborn, so the answer was foster care for teenagers and possible adoption if the child worked out.

Windy Oaks Estate Vineyards and Winery

Jim and Judy Schultze founded Windy Oaks in 1996 where they farm a total of twenty-six acres of Pinot Noir and their original acre of Chardonnay. The vineyard’s 990-foot elevation, soil and its orientation to the bay all are factors in creating a long growing season perfect for Chardonnay and Pinot Noir grapes to ripen slowly and evenly.

The vineyard is sustainably farmed, using cover crops and no herbicides. Their approach is ''extreme minimal intervention'' to preserve grape flavors in an all-gravity system from crush to bottling. To keep oxygen out, and flavors in, no pumping, additives, filtering or fining is used.

All wines, including a non-oaky Chardonnay, a Terra Narro everyday drinking Pinot, a, Pinot Cuvée which is a mix of five Pinot Noir clones, Diane’s Block Pinot which is grown at a lower elevation, Henry's Block Pinot, 100% Wild Yeast Pinot, a 100% Whole Cluster Pinot where the grapes are fermented without destemming, and a Proprietor's Reserve Pinot that has the classic Burgundian flavors are produced from grapes grown on the estate.

The winery produces 2,200 cases per year.

Irish Potato Casserole with Windy Oaks Pinot Noir

Rick likes the Terra Narro with this dish. The Terra is the everyday drinking wine produced by this winery.

1 1/2 pounds (4 to 5 medium) potatoes, peeled and diced

1/2 teaspoon salt

8 oz sour cream

8 oz of cream cheese

2 hard-boiled eggs, peeled and sliced

2 tablespoons chopped onion

salt and pepper

8 oz shredded cheddar cheese

Preheat oven to 350° F.

Put the potatoes in large saucepan and cover over with cold water. Add 1/2 teaspoon salt and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and cook 20 to 25 minutes or until potatoes are tender, drain; reserve.