Small Victories, by Julia Turshen, celebrates the little kitchen wins that will make you a better cook. It’s the perfect starting point for anyone aspiring to get more comfortable in the kitchen, with plenty of recipe inspiration for any level of cook.

Turshen nurtures your growth, helping you to develop your culinary confidence with headnotes highlighting the “small victories” of each dish. She’ll help you feel comfortable branching out beyond the recipes with instructions with “spin-offs,”—suggestions on how to tweak a recipe to suit your preference, or vary your routine. She offers these tips for every recipe, plus, has an entire chapter of “Seven Lists” with ideas for riffing on ways to use a can of chickpeas or a leftover roast chicken.

The recipes are modern American classics. You’ll find her twist on deviled eggs, chilaquiles, avocado toast, kimchi fried rice, meatballs, roast chicken, milkshakes, and skillet cakes. Her tastes and pantry seem to reflect the very kind of roving appetite most Americans have today, Korean Chile flakes (gochugaru) are equally at home alongside Preserved Lemons from North Africa in Turshen’s kitchen.

Turshen offers suggestions for stocking your larder, but take it with a grain of salt—her approach to cooking is totally relaxed. Use what you like, use what you have, occasionally try something new and it will all be delicious!