You’ve probably never heard of Julia Turshen, but you’ve mostly likely seen her work.  After years of co-authoring and ghost writing cookbooks, she has finally come out with her own collection of recipes. In Small Victories (Chronicle, $35), Turshen shares cooking philosophy and kitchen strategies, doling out tips and techniques that make cooking easier, more successful, and more meaningful—here’s how to finish pasta in the sauce rather than in the water, and how to use herbs that are past their prime.  This book lets you sample Turshen’s home repertoire; she gives you her aunt’s peerless chicken soup, her wife’s roasted sweet potatoes, and her own famous Caesar salad dressing.  Each recipe also comes with a collection of spin-off ideas, using the ingredients in the dish at hand. This is the kind of cookbook that will be stained and spattered from use in a matter of months, perfect for both a new home cook and an old hand in need of fresh inspiration.