I know I already wrote a blog post about household chores, but stick with me here.  In writing that, I kept thinking about how versatile vinegar is, so consider this part two– all about vinegar From shower heads to windows to microwaves, vinegar is a resourceful cleaner (especially distilled white vinegar) and will save you money as well. Good to know, right? Here are some uses for you.

Microwave: Bring 1/4 cup of vinegar and 1 cup of water to a boil in your microwave. Heat it until you see steam forming on the window. Then carefully take the solution out of the microwave and wipe clean.  The gunk should come off easily.

Automatic coffee makers: Fill the reservoir with white vinegar and run your coffee maker through a full cycle. Pour out the vinegar and refill the pot with plain water and run it through another cycle. Now you will have a fresh clean pot with no bad tasting residue.

Flowers: Yes, you read that correctly. Fresh flowers will last much longer if you add 2 tablespoons of vinegar and 2 tablespoons of sugar to the water. Be sure to change the water as it gets cloudy, and cut the stems too.

Use it as an all-purpose cleaner: Ditch your chemically-based cleaners and fill a spray bottle with one part vinegar and one part water. You can eliminate the vinegar smell if you don’t like it by adding a drop or two of your favorite scented oil. Fresh lemon works well, and it, too is a cleaner because it helps to cut grease and odors.

Stainless Steel: Forget about those expensive cleaners for your stainless-steel appliances. Spray some vinegar straight-up (no water), and then buff with a soft cloth. Your stainless steel will shine like new.

Showerhead cleaner: Put some undiluted vinegar in a plastic bag, and wrap it around your showered. Leave it on for two hours or more, then remove it and run the shower for a minute or two.  Good as new!

Vinegar as a weed killer: I did not know about this, but I am definitely going to try it in my garden next spring. You need to use vinegar with a high acidity (about 20 percent). Apply to areas that weeds grow. Forget about the chemical weed killers, especially if you have pets that go outside near the area that you need to kill the weeds.

Oh, I could go on and on about vinegar and it’s many resourceful uses. it is truly one of the best all-purpose items out there. From cooking to cleaning to personal use, there really are endless uses for vinegar. Of course, balsamic and red wine vinegar, as with all mixed vinegars, are not to be used for cleaning purposes. High acidity vinegar should only be used for cleaning purposes. Apple cider vinegar can be used for both cleaning and cooking, and it has health benefits too.

For this dish, we are using rice vinegar, which is a sweet, delicate vinegar that adds a nice tang to any recipe. Rice vinegar is usually found in Asian cuisine. I know we all like our Chinese take-out, but this is a made-at home fresh version, which I recommend highly.  This dish will stand up to even the most delicious take out, and it’s probably healthier too! The soy sauce, hoisin sauce, and rice vinegar give this dish a tangy and sweet flavor. The sesame seeds and oil add authentic seasoning. The chicken is transformed into orange, zesty goodness. The crushed red pepper flakes and garlic give it enough heat to be tasty, but not so much as to overwhelm picky eaters. This dish is so much better than anything you can get in a restaurant. Trust me.

This dish is courtesy of Super Simple, by  Tieghan Gerard and will serve 4 to 6 people who will never order orange chicken again.

Ingredients for Kai’s Favorite Sesame Orange Chicken:

1.5 lbs boneless, skinless chicken breasts cut into bite size pieces. I used chicken breast tenderloins 
4 Tablespoons of Soy Sauce
1/4 Cup of all purpose flour 
1 inch of ginger 
2 garlic cloves, grated (I used minced)
Juice of 1/2 orange
2 Tablespoons of hoisin sauce 
2 Tablespoons of rice vinegar 
1-2 Tablespoons of crushed red pepper flakes 
1 Tablespoon of toasted sesame oil 
2 Tablespoons of olive oil 
2 green onions chopped 
White Rice 
2 Tablespoons of toasted sesame seeds

In a medium bowl, combine the chicken, 2 tablespoons of the soy sauce, and the flour.

 

Toss, making sure the flour had evenly coated the chicken.

In a small bowl or glass measuring cup, whisk together the remaining 2 tablespoons of soy sauce and the ginger, garlic, orange zest, orange juice, hoisin sauce, vinegar and red pepper flakes, and toasted sesame oil.

Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.

When the oil shimmers, add the chicken in an even layer and cook, stirring until browned all over, about 5 minutes.

Pour in the sauce and bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the sauce thickens and the chicken is coated, 5 to 10 minutes.

Remove the skillet from the heat and stir in the green onions.

Serve the chicken over rice and top with more green onions and toasted sesame seeds.

It’s that simple!