Been awhile...

So many of you out there probably think I just got completely tired of keeping up with the blog and dropped all activities related to it. Much to the contrary, I've been in overdrive the past 6 weeks or so. Problem is, it was all for a secret, so I wasn't able to post. And do to all this, among other things, I was too busy to try many new recipes out.

However, the cat's now out of the bag and I can finally fill you all in. I've actually been turning my favorite meals from 2010 into the first edition of the Bon Chappetit cookbook! I made a fancier version for the family for Christmas, however I tried to make it a little more affordable for the masses, should any of you want to take this little gem home for yourselves. You can check out a preview below.

I would like to thank everyone who's been following the blog through the past year. It's been an incredibly enriching experience, and I look forward to continued posting in 2011. Happy New Year everyone!

Bon Chappetit by Christopher Chappel | Make Your Own Book

хороший день!

And bom dia! And however you say "hello" in Vietnamese!

I just took a gander at my trusty Google Analytics and saw we now have followers in Brazil, Russia and Vietnam - welcome all! Glad to have you at the party :)

Bon chappétit!

homeward bound

I wanted to shoot everyone out there a quick update. I have something to tell you, and it's not going to be easy - try not to cry. I'm...not going to be blogging for the next week. Yes, it's true. For the first time in three months, I'm going to take more than the weekend off. You see, I'm making my biannual trip home to the motherland, glorious Pittsburgh. Fear not, I expect to be trying out some new recipes there with the fam. Especially since I'll have unlimited access to a grill for an entire week. If you read the blog then you know how I feel about grills. Color me giddy.

Besides, there's now over 60 recipes logged on the site, that should be enough to hold you over. And if you're just so crazy that it's not, be sure to check out the fantastic blogs in the sidebar.

Hopefully I'll return next week, full of renewed energy and lots of fun new recipes for yinz out there. In the meantime, here's a taste of how I'll hopefully be spending at least one meal while I'm home...



Bon chappetit!

nobody does it like sandra lee

In lieu of a recipe today (I ordered carry out last night - for shame!) I thought I'd share a link from the NY Times today about Sandra Lee's lasagna recipe. It brings up an interesting point of how far you can really go to make things simple. I think there's a fine line there somewhere.

I'm not sure how many of you out there have had the pleasure of seeing some of the clips from Sandra Lee's Food Network show, but it's truly a gem. I don't mean for this to be a dig at Sandra, but I often see her featured on Dlisted, and her clips literally bring me to tears sometime. So I thought some of you out there might enjoy a good laugh on (what is hopefully) a hot, sunny Friday...

bon jour world!

Google Analytics is a fascinating piece of technology.  I have it hooked up to the blog, and I check it every once in awhile just to see who's logging on (if anyone...) and where they're coming in from.  I posted once before about my newfound international presence.  Some places make complete sense, such as my current home (NYC) and my hometown (Pittsburgh).  Some places I can figure out, based on friends that have moved over the years (Emil, I know that's you in Atlanta!).  Some make absolutely no sense.  However, I'm humbled and flattered that the reach of Bon Chappétit is constantly growing. I'd love to know who's logging on from some of these places and how you found the site...

• Temple, TX: How are you?!
• Chambersburg, PA: Do I know someone there? There's tons of you logging on!
• Oregon, Wisconsin, Louisiana: Never been there, but glad to have 'ya!

And then there are the places that just completely take me by surprise. The top one has to be Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Seriously.

As I said above, I'd love to know how everyone's finding the site, if you've been inspired to try any recipes and your thoughts if you have. And even if you don't feel like responding or are simply a casual observer, I'm still thrilled you've swung by.  It's fantastic motivation :)

Btw, the picture is of me eating the "death yogurt" (story behind that) in Cuzco, Peru circa sometime in 2006.

Bon Chappétit!

bon chappétit goes international!

So I took a gander just now at my Google Analytics (or as I like to call it "reverse stalking") and I noticed that in the past week, Bon Chappétit has gone international on me! I'd like to give a big hello (bonjour?) to our friends in the UK, Sweden, Germany, Canada and everywhere else.

Given this newfound reach, I thought I'd open it up to you to share some recipes from overseas. Feel free to share them in the comments. I'd love to give them a try and post them to the blog (with a shoutout to the owner, of course).

Thanks for reading everyone!

"tell me what you eat, and I will tell you what you are"

Interesting article in today's NY Times that seems oddly applicable to this blog:

First Camera, Then Fork