• Bring new light to your old jack-o'-lanterns
• Bundle up stylishly in chunky cardigans
• Exciting guest stars coming to TV this Fall
• Video: Heidi Klum reveals this year's "hairy" and anatomical Halloween costumes!
• Jennifer Lopez's stylist's top hair dos (and 3 hair don'ts)
• Motivate and get off your cold weather butt
• Sexy Geek Halloween costumes for last-minute shoppers
• Rule Halloween with royal look-alike inspiration
• Jessica and Eric baby rumors heat up — see their sweetest couple pics!
• C is for controversy? Sesame Street's most eyebrow-raising characters
• Money scare: 5 things to do when you're laid off
• Score! Bring the ballpark to your kitchen
• Is your cat getting into the Halloween spirit?
• Trick-or-truffle? Make chocolate Dulce de Leche truffles!
• PopSugar SF: best sweet spots in the city

Generally speaking, I'm more of a salad gal in Summer and a braised greens lover once Fall begins to hit its stride. But recently, I've discovered the best way to reconcile the two: by utilizing dark, leafy brassicas in their raw form, massaging them by hand with a drizzle of Autumn-tinged maple vinaigrette until slightly wilted and tender. Case in point: this shredded brussels sprouts salad, which is the darling of my kitchen at this very moment. Adding some Lacinato kale really transforms this dish from a slaw to a salad, and it's got a pleasing bitterness that's offset so nicely with a tangy-sweet dressing. To add another layer of flavor and texture, I finish the whole thing with toasted sunflower seeds and raisins. Get excited for the season with the recipe.

Is your go-to candy grub Butterfinger or Kit Kat? If so, we need your input for something extremely important: we're voting for the ultimate candy! Right now, Kit Kat's trailing Butterfinger by just a handful of votes — if you disagree or concur with the current standings, it's time for you to weigh in with your picks!

Start by clicking above, and go through the first-round matchups by picking your favorite candy each time. Once you've done that, we'll take your favorites and pair them against each other until there is only one winning candy left. At the end of the month, we'll tally up your votes and crown our ultimate candy. Plus, when you finish voting, you'll have the opportunity to enter to win a year's supply of candy from Dylan's Candy Bar. What are you waiting for? Play now!

• Courteney Cox is working on a skinny girl diner comedy. — Eater
• A burger like you've never seen. — Food Republic
• Places to hit up if you love whiskey. — Saveur
• More on Jon Bon Jovi's charitable restaurant, Soul Kitchen. — The Daily Beast
• Guy Fieri's contemplating a restaurant in New York City. — The Daily Meal
• Is it OK to use vanilla extract in place of the real bean? — MyRecipes
• Acclaimed Indian chef Sachin Chopra celebrates Diwali, the Hindu Festival of Lights. — San Francisco Chronicle
• Smart man! President Obama loves Roscoe's House of Chicken 'N Waffles. — Grub Street NY

For years, I've been a fan of raw, hulled sunflower seeds as an on-the-go snack; just a handful of them provides a bounty of nutrients like magnesium and vitamin E. But yesterday was the first time I ever thought to toast them.

Just like pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds taste great when given a quick flash in the pan. In fact, the hulled kind doesn't even require oil; you can simply dry-roast them by shaking them back and forth in a skillet over medium heat for two to three minutes or until they've browned in color. But don't turn your back on them, or they'll be burnt to a crisp before you know it!

Once the seeds have cooled, they're wonderful in a salad, sprinkled on soup, atop roasted vegetables or oatmeal, and, of course, eaten by the handful. Have you ever tried this?

Between Alex's Day Off, her two restaurants, and a column on Food Network, star chef and restaurateur Alex Guarnaschelli has her hands pretty full. Still, she's somehow made room to compete in the forthcoming star-studded season of Next Iron Chef, which premieres this Sunday, Oct. 30.

We caught up with her at the New York City Wine & Food Festival to get her thoughts on competing under pressure, making new celebrity chef friends, and the show's most emotional moments.

YumSugar: What was it like competing in Next Iron Chef: Super Chefs?
Alex Guarnaschelli: It was like going to sleep-away camp and being 18 again, in a way. You're removed from your normal life, in an abyss, with a knife and chunks of meat. It was an interesting experience. I made some friends that I didn't expect to make, like this one. [Michael Chiarello walks up].

Michael Chiarello: We had a love child on the series. [Winks.]
AG: I'd never met Michael Chiarello, as an example. I thought, "Wow, he's a tough cookie — I don't know about that one," but then we wound up in tears, laughing so hard, so many times. He would just give me that little look and a little flick of the eye, that little Clint Eastwood facial expression and it just kind of reboots you. It reminded me how alive we are. I don't know if that's good. It's kind of like being whipped with a thunderbolt.

Read on to hear more of Alex's takeaways from Next Iron Chef: Super Chefs.

Quince is one of those fruits that still manages to mystify us. Despite the fruit's rich history, up until recently, it was nearly forgotten! But lucky for us, lovers of the fruit have called for the revival. They've been coined the "quintessential slow food"; when eaten raw, the flavor of quince is rather displeasing, but once you cook one of these beauties up, a sweet aromatic scent fills the air. Keep reading for some ideas on how to make the most of quince this season.

How creative are these owl cupcakes spotted by Beaner? I happen to think they're a hoot.
I went to an Oktoberfest party over the weekend and since there were going to be kids there, I wanted to make something that was cute, but not too cute. So I whipped up a batch of these Owl Cupcakes. I used pumpkin bread for the cupcake, Newman's Os for the eyes, Reese's Pieces for the pupils, and a candy corn for the nose. Super easy, and it was awesome watching the kids devour them bit by bit.

Have your own fun Halloween sweet treats to share? Upload them in our Savory Sights community group!