Dear Heloise: After shopping, I occasionally find tiny pieces of plastic on my floors because they fall off the shopping bags. My concern is that crawling babies and toddlers love to put things in their mouths, and they can easily choke to death if a piece of plastic gets stuck in the back of their throat. Some may even fall into pet food or water bowls.

Please remind parents, grandparents and pet owners to check their floors carefully after shopping. Thank you! -- A.C.G., via email

Regular versus Mexican vanilla

Dear Heloise: There is a debate at my house over which is better to use: regular or Mexican vanilla. My significant other favors Mexican vanilla, but I prefer regular. What do you say? -- R.G., in Arizona

R.G., regular vanilla made here in the United States comes from the vanilla bean, while Mexican vanilla is made from the tonka bean tree. It's really a matter of personal taste.

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By the way, when you're baking and happen to run out of vanilla, you can substitute almond extract, maple syrup or even lemon or orange zest. -- Heloise

Clam chowder

Dear Heloise: We enjoy good soups on these cool winter days. We especially enjoy clam chowder, but after trying many different varieties, we realized that many do not include clams in their broth. We found that you can simply add a small can of diced clams to canned chowder, and it becomes a great, tasty dinner meal. -- H.Z., in California

Nasty finger cuts

Dear Heloise: Those of us who live in colder weather know that one can get little cuts at end of their fingers near the nail, and it can be quite painful. It is made worse by putting your hands in water to cook and clean. However, this nurse is still learning at age 77!

Now, at night, I just put antibiotic ointment on the cut with a bandage over it. During the day, you can wear paper tape over it to relieve the pain, as it keeps air out. Wear rubber gloves when washing dishes and cleaning. And if there is just one offending finger, you can roll a "finger cot" over it if you're putting your hands in water. Keep at it! Thanks. -- J.T., in Cincinnati

Lost keys

Dear Heloise: It seemed as though I was forever losing my keys. They'd be somewhere in the house, but I could not remember where I put them. Finally, while antique shopping, I found a beautiful old bowl that I wanted to display on my entry table. Now I drop my car keys in there every time I come home. No more "key hunts."

My brother always puts his in his briefcase when he gets home, and my best friend hangs hers on a doorknob or on a tall kitchen cabinet where her young children can't reach them. -- S.W., in New Mexico

Warm plates

Dear Heloise: I don't like to put my toast and eggs on a cold plate. When we used a toaster oven to cook, I would put the plate on top of the oven while toasting the bread. Now that we have a regular toaster, I had to find another way.

So, I put a cup of water in a large zip-close bag and let out most of the air. I put it in the microwave with a plate on top and heated it for a minute or so. It works great! -- A.C., in California

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