Seneca Free Library

Strawberry Shortcake

Cooking With Kids @ Seneca Free Library (Updated July 27, 2026)

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ANNOUNCEMENT (July 27, 2026): Break out the butter and fire up the griddle! We’ve got COOKING WITH KIDS on Thursday, July 30, 10:30 AM – 12:00 PM. As of Monday, 7/27, we have one slot available for registration.

Registration is open for kids 9-12 with a signed waiver on file at the circulation desk.

Sessions are limited to 6 participants for safety and instruction purposes.

Call 785-336-2377 or drop in at the desk during normal business hours to register your little chef!

REPORT (July 23, 2026): Last week’s Cooking with Kids session was Veggie Pizza. Not your pizza parlor veggie lover’s pie, this cool, crispy offering is perfect as an appetizer, dinner salad substitute, or party platter. Fresh cut veggies on a quick bread crust with a seasoned cream cheese “sauce.” It’s the perfect choice for a light summer offering. Special thanks to Deb Haverkamp for hosting this fun and educational session and to our participants for doing such a great job!

Cooking with Kids crew and their finished veggie pizzas.
Putting cream cheese sauce on the crust.
Shredding cheese.
Veggies are added.
Cheese is spread
Chopping veggies.
Cheese shredding.
Finished veggie pizza.

REPORT (June 3, 2026): The cooking crew met for a late morning session and took the opportunity to make breakfast burritos and granola bars from scratch. Thank you to our participants for joining us, and thanks to Deb Haverkamp for running another fun and educational session of Cooking with Kids!

Home made granola.
Making breakfast burritos.
Frying the meats.
Scrambling the eggs.
Rolling a burrito.
Team cooking.
Shredding cheese.
Enjoying the results.

REPORT (May 28, 2026): Summer season is time for light and airy treats and our Cooking with Kids crew hit a classic note with Strawberry Shortcake with home whipped topping, and a strawberry salsa with home baked cinnamon crisps. Special thanks to our cooking crew for joining us this session and a special thanks to Deb Haverkamp for making this event possible!

Sprinkling cinnamon on crisps.
Dicing fruit for salsa.
Dicing fruit for salsa.
Pouring batter in a baking pan.
Baked shortcake.
Doing dishes.
Preparing strawberries.
Strawberry salsa and cinnamon crisps.
Strawberry Salsa.

REPORT (April 23, 2026): We like to keep things classy at Seneca Free Library, and what says “classy” like CREPES? More than just thin pancakes, these cultural quick breads beg for delicate adornments, so our Cooking Crew made a light whipping cream and prepared an assortment of tasty berries to go with their creations. Magnifique! Special thanks to our facilitator and cooking guru, Deb Haverkamp, for putting together this fantastic session. Thanks also to our attendees who looked at the building storm and said, “Nah, we got things to cook. Go rain on somebody else!”

Participant slicing a banana.
Participants pan fry their crepes.
Participant prepping her pan for another crepe.
Participants frying up their crepes.
Participants washing dishes.
A crepe with whip creme, sliced strawberries, blue berries, and banana.
A half banana and a bowl of blue berries and sliced strawberries.
A fully loaded crepe with whipped creme, strawberry wedges, and blueberries.

REPORT(March 12, 2026): The Cooking Crew went green for the upcoming St. Patrick’s Day holiday and made 7-Layer salad and broccoli salad. Thank you to our participants and especially to our facilitator, Deb Haverkamp for making this program possible!

Participants chop vegetables.
Participants mix ingredients.
Participants chop vegetables.
Participant frying bacon.
Participants chop vegetables.
Participants spread dressing layer on 7-layer salad.
Participant chops vegetables.
Participants add cheese layer to 7-layer salad.
Participants add bacon bits to top of 7-layer salad.
Participants wash dishes.
Participants wash dishes.
Participants enjoy finished salads.

REPORT (March 5, 2026): Deb and the Cooking with Kids crew made Pecan Coffee Cake with Graham Cracker Crumble Topping.

A nine-by-nine pan of coffee cake.
Participants mix ingredients.
Participants measure crushed graham crackers.
Participant crushing graham crackers in a bag using a rolling pin.
Participants crushing graham crackers in a bag using a rolling pin.
Nine-by-twelve pan of finished coffee cake.
Participants doing dishes.

REPORT (February 5, 2026): With the next two weeks being off from Cooking with Kids, our facilitator, Deb Haverkamp, wanted to be sure the cooking crew got to celebrate Valentine’s Day in Cooking with Kids style! In this session they made strawberry pizza and rice crispy treats with a heart-shaped spin. Thanks to our participants, and a big thanks to Deb Haverkamp for running this session even with the library being closed for continuing education!

Participants with their finished fruit pizzas.
Strawberry fruit pizza.
Participants put the toppings on their fruit pizzas.
Heart-shaped rice krispie treat.
Strawberry fruit pizza.