Grover from ‘Sesame Street’ dishes sweet smoothie

Brought to you by the letter G, it’s Grover, Sesame Street’s favorite blue resident! Grover joins pals Bert, Ernie and Prairie Dawn in two new high-flying Play With Me Sesame DVDs: “Let’s Play Games” and “Imagine With Me,” from Genius Products and Sesame Workshop. The DVDs are filled with interactive fun designed to help preschoolers learn social, cognitive and emotional skills in an entertaining way.

After three decades on Sesame Street, Grover remains excitable, caring and compulsive, a combination that proves particularly volatile when he rushes into situations without analyzing the consequences. Children and adults connect with Grover when he is confounded by adult logic, and share his fantasy of competence and control when he becomes ‘Super Grover,’ a problem-solving superhero who can do no wrong. Look for the DVDs at bookstores, video stores and online. To learn more: www.sesamestreet.com

Of all your Sesame Street friends, who has the best and worst manners at the dinner table?

“Cookie Monster definitely has the worst manners. You can always tell when Cookie Monster has been around, because there will be crumbs everywhere! Bert, on the other hand, is a bit of a neat freak. You would never find him eating with his hands. In fact, he always carries around his own personal set of silverware just in case someone invites him over for dinner. I do not think he has ever had to use it.”

You must love some food with ‘sesame’ seeds, right?

“Certainly. Many breads have sesame seeds and are delicious. However, please do not make me choose between sesame seeds and peanut butter. I cannot stand the thought of disappointing all those cute little sesame seeds.”

Being the color blue, do you feel bad that there aren’t enough blue-colored foods? For the ones that exist, which are your favorites?

“Blue is ‘blue-tiful!’ There are not many monsters or foods that are blue, but that is OK. It just means we are unique. Blueberries are the only food I think I have had that are blue. And they are mmm-mmmm good! Especially in a pie. I have seen other blue foods in the refrigerator, but my mommy always throws them away before I have a chance to taste them.”

How is the food in Hooper Store on Sesame Street?

“It is very good. Alan, the shopkeeper, makes a mean peanut butter sandwich, too. Just make sure you specify ‘creamy.’ He has not quite mastered the ‘chunky’ yet.”

What country’s food, other than the U.S., do you like the most?

“I have traveled all over, and enjoy all the different flavors and spices of the world. However, I must admit to a penchant for peanuts, and particularly peanut butter. Peanut butter is American, but in Thailand, they use a lot of peanut sauce, which is yummy, too.”

Grover’s Super Fruity Strawberry Banana Smoothie

Here’s a delicious recipe for a super fruity, super healthy fruit smoothie that the whole family can enjoy!

2 cups of strawberries

1 ripe banana

1 cup of low-fat milk

1 cup of low-fat vanilla yogurt

Peel the banana and slice into smaller pieces. Your child can help with this task. Remove the leaves and stems from the strawberries. Then, combine all the ingredients in a blender and whirl on high until smooth. Pour and enjoy together! Makes 4-6 servings.