There was a time when during the week of Halloween I would busy myself frosting pumpkin cookies, snacking on my secret Halloween candy stash, and eating candy corn color by color.  Not this year!  This week, less sugar for all of us.  Friday night we’ll all have enough to induce a coma.  Why start early?

In trying to think what I could shape into Halloween images that didn’t involve 1 cup of butter, I thought about our Japanese exchange student that taught us how to make rice balls this summer.   Then I thought I could make some pumpkins out of the rice.

Step 1: In a rice cooker, I put rice and soaked it in water. Then, I added some color to the water.  After rinsing the rice, I put more carrot juice in the cooking water.

Step 2: While rice was still warm, I sprinkled a piece of plastic wrap with salt.  Then put a dollop of rice in the wrap.

Step 3: Wrap the rice ball and move it between your hands back and forth while packing the rice really well.

Step 4: Unwrap ball and shape into a pumpkin. Add any greens (this is celery) for the stem.  You can decorate a Jack-o-lantern face using things such as dried sea weed (that is what they would use if we were in Japan)

The kids loved these for a snack.  They can eat them with their fingers.  Try it tonight!