Based on the idea that one go-to component can anchor several meals, this cookbook from recipe developer, photographer, and blogger Kathryn Pauline is designed to help a busy home cook prepare delicious meals simply, in less than 15, 30, or 45 minutes.

More than 120 recipes and 100 photographs make Piecemeal a weeknight workhorse. This strategy-based cookbook features recipes for 30 transformational components - such as grilled corn, turkey meatballs, tzatziki, roasted grapes - each used in three different ways (in three additional recipes), for a total of 120 delicious and adaptable recipes. Each component was selected for maximum performance: It's flavorful, storable, and versatile. It can stand alone or be used in multiple ways. Piecemeal presents a way for cooks to create a flexible repertoire of meals without doing a ton of work at one time.

Prepare the component when you have some time, then use it to enhance or center meals throughout the week, even on your most hectic evenings. The three recipes that pair with each component are fully prepared, from start to finish, in either 15 minutes or less, 30 minutes or less, or up to 1 hour (a project recipe with a bit more prep).

For example: Make caramelized tomatoes. Use them in Caramelized Caprese (a 5+ minute recipe), Summer Strata (a 15+ minute recipe), or a Cornmeal Pancake Stack (a 30+ minute recipe). With Kathryn's gorgeous photographs accompanying each of its smart, strategic, and delicious recipes, Piecemeal is, at its core, a master course in culinary riffing.