Out Of The Hat Rice Food

CRISPY TREAT WITCH'S HAT

Steps:

• Melt 9 tablespoons of the butter in a large pot over low heat. Add 3 packages marshmallows and heat, stirring, until completely melted. Add the chocolate-flavored rice cereal and stir until well coated. The mixture will look very white because of the melted marshmallow; that's okay because the color will fade. You can add a dash of cocoa powder to deepen the color if you'd like.
• For the hat base: Grease a large piece of parchment with butter. Oil your hands so the cereal doesn't stick, then remove about a quarter of the cereal mixture. Press and mold the mixture on the greased parchment to create a 10-inch flat circle.
• For the hat: Build the remaining cereal mixture into a cone with a 6-inch-wide base. Set the cone on top of the hat base. Shape bends and divots into the cone to make a realistic looking hat.
• Melt the remaining 3 tablespoons butter in a saucepan over low heat. Add the remaining package of marshmallows and heat, stirring, until melted. Stir in the plain rice cereal until well coated. Grease a small bowl with butter and transfer 1/2 cup of the cereal mixture to the bowl. Set aside.
• For the hatband: Add a few drops of green gel food coloring to the rest of the cereal mixture in the saucepan and mix well until the color is even. Using the green batch, create a 3-inch-wide band or strip to wrap around the entire base of the cone.
• For the buckle: Dust the reserved batch of cereal mixture with edible gold powder and shape into a square buckle. Press the buckle onto the base of the hatband. If the mixture doesn't hold its shape, let it set for 10 minutes to stiffen.

OUT OF THE HAT RICE

Steps:

• Stir the basmati rice, water, green onions, salt, and pepper together in a saucepan over medium heat; bring to a boil. Stir in the butter. Reduce heat to low, cover the pan, and let simmer for 15 minutes. When the rice has steam openings in the top between the grains, stir in the lemon juice. Cover and let sit off the heat for 10 minutes to finish steaming.
• To serve, place 4 spinach leaves in a fan shape on a plate; scoop up several balls of rice using an ice cream scoop. Place the rice scoops decoratively onto the spinach leaves, and serve.