Thanks to everyone who entered the drawing for “Fine Cooking: Comfort Food.” The winner is Pamela B. Roberts. I’ll pop it in the mail today.

If you are not Pamela B. Roberts, you are eligible to enter the drawing for “The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Smoking Foods,” by Ted Reader.

To enter, send an e-mail to jennie.geisler@timesnews.com including your NAME, MAILING ADDRESS and NAME OF THE BOOK.

For those of you just here for the food, check this out. It’ll turn any slab of meat into a firecracker.
TED’S WORLD-FAMOUS BONE DUST BBQ SEASONING RUB
1/2 cup paprika
1/4 cup chili powder
3 tablespoons kosher salt
2 tablespoons ground coriander
2 tablespoons garlic powder
2 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons curry powder
2 tablespoons hot dry mustard powder
1 tablespoon fresh ground black pepper
1 tablespoon dried basil leaves
1 tablespoon ground cumin
1 tablespoon cayenne
1. In a large bowl, stir paprika, chili powder, kosher salt, coriander, garlic powder, sugar, curry powder, hot dry mustard powder, black pepper, basil, thyme, cumin and cayenne until well combined.
2. Store in an airtight container in a cool, dry, and dark, place for up to 4 months. Use this rub on ribs,m pork, chicken or turkey.
Makes 2 1/2 cups
– “The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Smoking Foods”

Several lifetimes ago, I worked at an Applebee’s as a server. I made more there than at my “real” job editing a weekly paper. (Which meant doing everything but deliver the darned thing.)
To this day, I can’t go into an Applebee’s without stressing out. The best thing about the job, other than the cash, was the Tequila Lime Chicken. That stuff was awesome. I never figured out how they made it, mostly because I didn’t want that knowledge to ruin the experience of eating it.
We always got weird questions from people asking about the “tequila” part, though, so I wasn’t surprised to see they changed it to Fiesta Lime Chicken or some such thing.
Haven’t tried it since, but the original dish came to mind when I saw this one, which I’d like to try the next time I have tequila in the house.
By the way, this is National Tequila Day. And National Make-This-and-Take-It-to-Jennie Day. Feel free to celebrate.

TEQUILA-GLAZED GRILLED CHICKEN THIGHS
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon chili powder
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon chipotle chile powder
6 bone-in chicken thighs (about 2 pounds), skinned
3/4 cup pineapple juice
1/3 cup tequila
1/4 cup honey
2 teaspoons cornstarch
2 teaspoons water
2 teaspoons grated lime rind
3 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper
Cooking spray
1. Preheat grill to medium-high heat using both burners. After preheating, turn the left burner off.
(Leave the right burner on).
2. Combine first 4 ingredients in a small bowl; rub evenly over chicken.
3. Combine pineapple juice, tequila, and honey in a small saucepan; bring to a boil. Cook until reduced to 3/4 cup (about 10 minutes). Combine cornstarch and 2 teaspoons water in a small bowl, and stir well. Add cornstarch mixture to juice mixture, stirring constantly with a whisk. Bring to a boil, and cook 1 minute, stirring constantly. Remove from heat, and stir in lime rind, 3 tablespoons lime juice, and red pepper.
4. Place chicken on grill rack coated with cooking spray over right burner (direct heat). Cover and grill 5 minutes on each side, basting occasionally with juice mixture. Move chicken to grill rack over left burner (indirect heat). Cover and grill an additional 5 minutes on each side or until done, basting occasionally.
Makes 6 thighs
Per serving: 241 calories, 7.6 grams fat, 18 grams protein, 17.2 grams carbohydrate, 0.4 gram fiber, 64 milligrams cholesterol, no sodium
– www.oxmoorhouse.com/WaytoCookGrilling

Today’s “recipe” is so simple, I’m almost embarrassed. But its potential addition to my life cannot be be overstated.
Weight Watchers taught me years ago to simply stay away from my “red-light foods,” or foods around which I can’t control myself. I sort of follow that rule. As in avoiding-everything-except-my-own-chocolate-chip-cookies rule.
My real problem, though, starts with my proximity to ice cream.
Cookies are only a few WW Points apiece. Ice cream, eaten by the half-gallon, costs considerably more, especially when you factor in wardrobe replacement.
This might just be the answer: Pureed frozen bananas.
If you haven’t heard of the Yonana machine, running at roughly $50 to $70, get out from under that rock. It can turn a banana into soft serve “ice cream” in a matter of seconds.
Believe it. It’s soft, creamy, sweet and takes easily to topping.
Now believe this: You don't need a Yonana.
You need frozen bananas and a food processor. Add in anything you want, strawberries, blueberries, chocolate chips, chocolate syrup, pineapple topping, butterscotch topping, marshmallow topping, nuts, peanut butter, all of the above.
Better yet, none of the above. You’ll have to have it plain at least once. Just to appreciate its genius.

UPDATED INSTRUCTIONS FROM 7/24:
Slice the bananas before you freeze them!!!!
(Slicing frozen bananas could get you killed.)