WESTLAKE, Ohio - Presidents Day was a glorious, sunny and mild school holiday that many youngsters probably spent playing outdoors.

Owen, left, puts his French toast in a mug into the microwave while Philip and Cathy McCann look on. Carol Kovach, special to cleveland.com 

But about a dozen 8- to 12-year-olds were at Westlake Porter Public Library for a special program, "Kids in the Kitchen."

"Twelve is about the limit we can handle for the session," said Rebecca Shook, special needs resources librarian at Porter Library. She said equipment and time limitations necessitate a small group.

The program is a mixture of special needs youngsters and their typical peers, Shook said, with the group about half and half. Students who signed up for this event were all first-timers, Shook said.

"We do about four of these programs during the year and try to change the recipes so repeat participants get to try new things," she added. The program started about a year ago; the next session will be in June, Shook said.

"In the past, we've made fruit kabobs, sandwiches and pizza," she said. The program included new recipes this time: French toast in a mug, a spinach berry smoothie and a strawberry banana smoothie. The library provided all ingredients, the recipes and equipment.

Rebecca Shook, special needs resources librarian at Westlake Porter Public Library, helps Octavia pour orange juice into the blender while making a strawberry-orange smoothie Carol Kovach, special to cleveland.com 

Program participants were involved in the hands-on recipe preparation and youngsters could taste each recipe. They also could take home the mugs used for the French toast and the recipes from the program, in case they wanted to try them again at home.

Youngsters took turns bringing their mugs to the work area where Cathy McCann, Youth Services associate, guided them through the steps to create the French toast recipe. Each child added 1/4 cup of milk, 1 1/2 tablespoons of maple syrup, 1 teaspoon of ground cinnamon, 1 large egg and a pinch of salt to their mugs, then mixed it with a plastic fork until frothy. Returning to their seats, the budding chefs buttered one side of a slice of white bread, then tore or cut it (with a plastic knife) into bite-size pieces and added it to the mug, pushing it down into the liquid mixture.

The mugs were placed on another table next to a piece of tape with each child's name. They were called in groups of two to a nearby kitchenette with two microwaves, where each youngster put his or her mug into the microwave and cooked the mixture for two minutes, checking it every 30 seconds. When it was done, they carefully returned their mugs to the assigned places on the table in the arts and crafts room so the mixture could cool.

During the microwaving time, Shook guided the youngsters through the process of making two different types of smoothies. Each child randomly selected a number. As Shook called numbers and the child with the corresponding number came forward to add an ingredient or to perform a task.

Participants in the Kids in the Kitchen program line up as Rebecca Shook pours samples of the strawberry-banana smoothie for them to taste.Carol Kovach, special to cleveland.com 

For the spinach berry smoothie, children helped by adding ice cubes to a blender to make 1/2 cup of crushed ice. Then they added 1 cup of washed, fresh spinach, 1 cup of frozen, mixed berries, 1 cup of water and 1 cup of vanilla Greek yogurt, which was blended on high speed for about 30 seconds.

The strawberry-banana smoothie ingredients were 1/2 of a banana, 1/2 cup of plain yogurt, 1 cup of frozen strawberries, 1/4 cup of orange juice and a drizzle of honey. The ingredients were blended at high speed for about 30 seconds.

Program participants lined up to sample each smoothie.

"I give the French toast thumbs-up," said Emily, adding that she "didn't like the spinach smoothie." However, she did like the strawberry-banana one.

"I've cooked before," she said. "My mom and I made chocolate chip cookies and cake."

When asked what he thought of the French toast, Jack replied, "Meh. Mine wasn't cooked enough."

Jack, age 10, is no stranger in the kitchen.

"I've make grilled cheese, scrambled eggs, fried eggs, poached eggs and eggs in the microwave and chips in the microwave," he explained.

Most participants enjoyed the program and several said they'd like to come back for another session.

For more information on programs at Porter Public Library, visit westlakelibrary.org.

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