Prime, choice or select

Low salt mushroom soup

Do you know the grades of beef? Is it worth paying more for the best quality? The United States Department of Agriculture (www.USDA.gov) has standards for meat grading.

The most common grades of beef are prime, choice and select. Let’s take a look at these:

* Prime has lots of fat marbling for juiciness and flavor. High- end steakhouses usually serve prime. Prime roasts and steaks are excellent for broiling, roasting and grilling.

* Choice is high quality beef but has less marbling. Roasts and steaks from the loin and rib will be tender and flavorful, but cuts fromthe rump, round or chuck will be most tender if braised.

* Select is still fairly tender, but may lack some of the flavor and juiciness because of less marbling.

Always read the label, visit the USDA website for more information, or check with your butcher to make sure you’re getting the quality grade of meat you desire.

Pet pal

DEARHELOISE » A pair of mourning doves built a nest in a hanging plant on my sister’s deck. She named them John and Yoko. Attached is a picture of their hatchlings, Imagine and Peace!

— Shaun L., via email Love these amazing creatures! Readers, do you have funny, furry or feathery friends you’d like to share? Email a picture and description to Heloise@Heloise.com.

DEARHELOISE » I’d like to have a recipe for cream of mushroom soup that doesn’t contain as much salt as canned soup. Do you have one?

— Terry in New York Terry, yes, I do! This generic cream soup recipe can be the base for any cream soup you make, including mushroom. You’ll need: 1 cup nonfat dried milk powder 1 tablespoon dried onion flakes 2 tablespoons cornstarch 2 tablespoons chicken bouillon powder ½ teaspoon dried basil, crushed ½ teaspoon dried thyme, crushed ¼ teaspoon black pepper Mix all of these ingredients together.

FYI: You can mix up the dry ingredients for the cream soup base in an airtight container to be used whenever you crave a nice, hot bowl of homemade soup.

Permanent marker removal

DEARHELOISE » An old teacher’s trick to remove permanent marker froma whiteboard is to carefully go over the permanent mark with a non-permanent marker, wiping immediately as you go over the stain. — Doug C, via email