By LAUREN FLAUM

I have a thing for cookbooks. I own shelves and shelves of them: Some glossy with beautiful full-page colors photos; some large hardcover tomes of recipe after recipe; some from famous chefs like Julia Child and some from unknowns.

Even with my vast collection, I find myself renewing the same book from the library over and over -- or as many times as they'll let me. "Mark Bittman's Kitchen Express" is like none other. Toss out any notion you may have of a traditional cookbook. Bittman scraps the ingredients list, throws format to the wind and doesn't even think about measurements.

Bittman is something of a celebrity in the food world. His face might not be as synonymous as say, Rachael Ray, but he's certainly on the scene. Bittman writes a weekly column for the New York Times, called "The Minimalist," with an accompanying blog and he brings that same realistic and simplistic approach in the kitchen to the recipes in this, his latest book.

The book is filled with 404 recipes -- broken down into 101 dishes for each season. Each recipe is just one paragraph and provides a quick sketch of what to do, with a short blurb before each explaining, describing, offering a variation or giving suggestions of what to serve alongside. Also, each recipe can be made in under 20 minutes -- some in as little as five.

First off, I love that Bittman has broken the book down by seasons. This is the proper way to cook. Good ingredients are the backbone of excellent home cooking, and you're more likely to find quality ingredients in season. "As it happens," Bittman says, "asparagus is best in spring, broccoli in fall, corn in summer, and so on." Bottom line: Mother Nature knows best.

The recipes themselves are fresh and innovative. They range from classics, like Caesar salad, to new takes on the common, like Gruyere apple grilled cheese, to full-on fusion, like an Italian tostada. And some are so eccentric (and wonderful!), they defy categorization altogether, like Nutella fondue. Are you drooling yet?

Each seasonal chapter begins with breakfast, goes on to soup and salad, then on to sandwiches and vegetarian cuisine before segueing into fish, chicken, pork, beef and lamb; next up it's pasta, and finally, dessert. As you can see, this is a very comprehensive approach to cooking and makes planning a whole meal -- from appetizer to ending -- a snap.

Lately, I've been delving into the Spring section, and recently made Bittman's chicken tandoori. Broiled on wooden skewers, I served it with roasted asparagus (yum!) and will soon be providing the recipe on my own blog, Live to Eat. It was incredibly easy and tasty, just like everything else I've whipped up from the book thus far. I'm also jazzed to try a few more of his springtime selections, including udon noodles with green tea broth, BLT salad, Middle Eastern pizza and bittersweet chocolate crepes with smashed fruit.

Looking into my culinary crystal ball, I can clearly see that the grill will get a lot of use this summer, and Bittman will be right there with me. From jerk chicken to Korean barbecued beef and the author's take on "a very good burger," I can't wait to get my food over an open flame. And for days when it's simply to hot to fuss, I definitely planning on trying out some of his cool summer stuff, such as a feta and watermelon salad or zucchini and dill soup.

The blurb on the back of "Kitchen Express" notes that "this style of cooking is about three things: speed, flexibility and relaxation." I dig it. In fact, the idea of cooking foods in a fast, flexible and relaxing way is so appealing, I think I'll make it my own new culinary mantra.