Halloween is just around the corner, and this week’s video features tips on how to carve a festive pumpkin. Design and lifestyle expert Bruce Littlefield shares step by step tips on the best way to carve the top, using stencils and more.

See more videos in our Cooking Videos Section.

The ALEX water bottle comes apart for easy
cleaning—or to fill with Halloween or Christmas
candy as a gift. Photo by River Soma | THE
NIBBLE.

With their small mouth openings, most reusable water bottles require special cleaning tablets; bottle brushes aren’t that effective. Bottles can build up unhealthy bacteria and odors.

Now there are no more worries about what lurks in that reusable bottle. You can wash ALEX in the sink or pop it into the dishwasher.

Since you can clean ALEX thoroughly, you also can use it to carry iced coffee, juice or other cold drinks and powdered drinks. (Hot drinks aren’t recommended because the bottle isn’t insulated.)

ALEX is made of premium grade stainless steel and is 100% BPA Free.

And here’s another benefit: For traveling, you can unscrew the center and nest the bottom half into the top half.

Help keep those 38 million annual unrecycled water bottles out of the landfill and waterways. ALEX is available in two sizes—20 ounces and 32 ounces—and three colors: black, white and stainless steel (silver). The black and white versions have a choice of contrasting-color silicone bands.

Get yours at AlexBottle.com.

They’re available from Woodhouse Chocolate, a NIBBLE Top Pick Of The Week, on a chocolate hand ($10) or a chocolate spoon ($6), in milk or dark chocolate.

Woodhouse has a large selection of artisan Halloween chocolates, including adorable bats and spiders. See them all at WoodhouseChocolate.com.

• Find more of our favorite Halloween chocolate and Top Pick Halloween candy, cookies & more for 2010.

Mmm, eyeballs. Photo courtesy Woodhouse
Chocolate.

Cocktail and a snack. Photo courtesy In A
Pickle.

Instead of spearing one or two olives or cocktail onions, turn the skewer into a small bite.

For Bloody Marys, Martinis and other savory cocktails, you can use:

• Pear (a.k.a. grape) tomatoes
• Pickle chips, gherkins or sliced spears
• Other pickled vegetables—carrots, cauliflower florets, sliced dilly beans (see our favorite pickled vegetables from Rick’s Picks and Tillen Farms)
• Red or yellow bell pepper squares
• Other favorite veggies: baby corn, pickled jalapeño, pickled okra (try Rick’s Picks fab Smokra, smoky pickled okra), water chestnuts
• Cubes of cheese (or Mozzarella perlini), ham or turkey or a small shrimp

Find Bloody Mary recipes and other drinks in our Cocktails Section.

We’ve got recipes for Bruschetta With Radicchio di Treviso Tapenade, Mushroom Risotto In Radicchio Wrap, Radicchio Pizza and more.

Radicchio—Italian red-leaf chicory—is a healthy food: It’s very high in antioxidants and full of vitamins A and C and phosphorus (the latter needed for healthy bones and teeth, energy, mental alacrity and more).

• Check out the radicchio recipes.
• Find more of our favorite vegetable recipes.
• Take a look at our Exotic Vegetables Glossary—veggies you may have never set eyes on.

Remember radicchio for your Christmas salad—the red leaves tossed with greens say “holidays.”

How ‘bout a radicchio pizza? Photo courtesy
Royal Rose Radicchio.