I can't help but think of Julia's major influence and contribution to home cooking in America. She left a lasting impression on a new generation of cooks and not only was she an amazing cook, but taught post WWII America that we too, could learn to cook and cook well. She was the original celebrity chef and is why we all watch those great cooking shows, buy beautiful cookbooks authored by professionals and novices alike, read cooking blogs, download podcasts, participate in dinner clubs and read great food magazines. I like to think in part that it was because Julia went to Le Cordon Bleu in Paris to teach herself to become more than just a ho-hum home cook. She was trained in the school's philosophy of achieving excellence through practice and perseverance. Those two things could be applied to many areas of our lives. She contributed a scholarly, yet accessible approach to recipes, an enthusiasm for efficiency and, above all, a spirited sense of fun.

She had a genuine love of life and took great pleasure in cooking, as well as eating. I love to watch people eat with gusto. I have two friends who do this and they are both fit and trim. I hate them.

And how in the world did Julia Child manage to stay relatively thin and healthy while conquering French cooking and showing America how fun it is to cook and eat? She cooked like I do: cook, taste, cook, taste, cook, taste. I figure by the time I sit down to dinner, I have already consumed an entire meal.

I got fat doing this, she didn't. Do you think it has something to do with the fact she spent her time in France walking to the market, green grocers, bakery and flower stands and never gave birth? I sure do.

Thank you, Julia Child, for opening the door to the fun and creative world of cooking in America.

Fun walk of the week: East Skyline Drive. I spent an hour walking atop Homer on a beautiful sunny day. The scenery was incredible. It felt like it was northern Wisconsin in Alaska with all the lush greenery, many stands of spruce trees, rolling meadows of wildflowers and I even spotted a spruce hen. There was little traffic and the glacier view was breathtaking.

Fresh produce of all kinds are being harvested now and you don't want to miss out on these short-lived treasures from the garden. I stood in the middle of a friend's garden this week and happily grazed, just munching away on broccoli, mazuna, arugula and cauliflower. Talk about feeling like I was doing something good for my body. Enjoy a trip to the Homer Farmer's Market and load up on some nutritious healthy Homer-grown produce.

Enjoy using many of the fresh ingredients available this time of year to make a healthy and flavorful potato salad. A pesto made with spinach and arugula dresses this salad instead of mayonnaise.

Courtesy Vegetarian Times

Serves 8

Pesto

1 1/2 cups packed baby arugula

3/4 cup packed baby spinach

3/4 cup packed fresh basil

1 clove garlic, minced (1 teaspoon)

14 cup toasted walnut pieces

2 teaspoons lemon juice

3 tablespoons olive oil

Potato Salad

1 12 pounds red new potatoes, halved

34 pound fresh green beans, trimmed (3 cups)

2 teaspoons olive oil

12 large fennel bulb, thinly sliced (2 cups)

1 large shallot, thinly sliced (13 cup)

3 tablespoons diced sun-dried tomatoes

18 teaspoon red pepper flakes

34 cup quartered cherry tomatoes

Pesto: Pure 1 cup arugula, 12 cup spinach, basil, garlic and walnut pieces in food processor until smooth. Add remaining arugula and spinach, and pulse until smooth. With machine running, pour in lemon juice and oil, and blend until combined. Season with salt and pepper if desired.

Potato salad: Cook potatoes in large pot of boiling salted water 10 minutes. Add green beans and cook 5 minutes more. Drain and transfer to bowl. Cover to keep warm.

Heat oil in skillet over medium heat. Saut fennel and shallot in oil 10 minutes or until browned. Add sun-dried tomatoes and red pepper flakes, and saut 3 to 4 minutes more.

Toss pesto and fennel mixture with potatoes and green beans. Garnish with tomatoes and serve.