futzing with cookies in 15.12, although my cookie counter is getting called twice per request... perhaps the "before_filter" method is applied for each filter in a chain?

cookbook/015/hodgepodge/app/controllers/application_controller.rb

@@ -1,21 +1,28 @@
 class ApplicationController < ActionController::Base
-  before_filter :set_user
+  before_filter :set_user, :count_visits
   protect_from_forgery
 
+  private
+  def count_visits
+    value = (cookies[:visits] || '0').to_i
+    cookies[:visits] = (value + 1).to_s
+    @visits = cookies[:visits]
+  end
+
   protected
-    def set_user
-      @user = User.find(session[:id]) if @user.nil? && session[:id]
-    end
+  def set_user
+    @user = User.find(session[:id]) if @user.nil? && session[:id]
+  end
 
-    def login_required
-      return true if @user
-      access_denied
-      return false
-    end
+  def login_required
+    return true if @user
+    access_denied
+    return false
+  end
 
-    def access_denied
-      session[:return_to] = request.request_uri
-      flash[:error] = 'Oops.  You need to login before you can view that page.'
-      redirect_to :controller => 'user', :action => 'login'
-    end
+  def access_denied
+    session[:return_to] = request.request_uri
+    flash[:error] = 'Oops.  You need to login before you can view that page.'
+    redirect_to :controller => 'user', :action => 'login'
+  end
 end

cookbook/015/hodgepodge/app/views/index/index.html.erb

@@ -1,2 +1,4 @@
 <p>You first visited this site on <%= session[:first_time] %>.</p>
 <p>That was <%= time_ago_in_words session[:first_time] %> ago.</p>
+
+<p>You have visited this website&#39;s pages <%= @visits %> time(s).</p>