I have a Halloween tradition of making a gross out meal! The kids look forward to it, and I enjoy finding new recipes. Ramen noodles can be tinted red for "brains" or tinted blue/green to look like seaweed and cut hot dogs to look like octopus and place on top of the "seaweed". Add green food color to mac & cheese for slime. Mini hot dogs (or cut up 2" pieces of hot dogs) wrapped in biscuit or bread stick dough and cook in oven. Add pretzel sticks or something similar for legs to make "spiders". For a foamy "blood" drink, I mixed lemon-lime soda (pop), fruit punch, and a couple scoops of sherbert (any flavor works). As for alternatives to door-to-door trick or treating, look for a haunted wagon ride or haunted house. The newspaper will probably be full of alternatives as Halloween gets closer.