LBi Social Media Team

Doing Bex faces!

On Friday it was Bex's last day on the LBi social media team. We're all going to miss her, but she'll definitely not be forgotten. Bex pulled some pretty amazing faces during her time on the team and here we all are pulling them with her! Sending her off in style.

Life in the UK: could you pass the citizenship test?

I saw this on the American Expat in London blog today. I took my Life in UK test last year and I remember lots of people wanted to look at the book. People would debate about how many actual British citizens would pass it.

The Guardian posted an online quiz so you can have a go and see how well you'd score!

My so called British cooking

Cafe Latte original cheesecake and chicken salsa chili. From my trip home 2009.

A few weeks ago I made a pledge to learn how to make some authentic British cuisine. I was going to be making a dish every Sunday and blogging about it. At least that was the plan. I started off strong and made Shepherds Pie, which turned out really good, and after that....well...I just got busy. 


I find that I enjoy cooking on a Sunday, especially when it's a bit chilly outside. I was in the mood for a good chili today and decided to make Cafe Latte's Chicken Salsa Chili. It is so good and one of my favourite things to eat when I go there. My very good friend Cory turned me on to it years ago. It's one of those dishes that's very straightforward to make and you can find all the ingredients here in London.


I remember the first time I made for Matthew and he couldn't believe that I was adding tortilla chips to it. He thought that was crazy, but of course he loves it :) I miss Cafe Latte, especially the cheesecake. 


If you like a spicy chili you will like this recipe. A nice touch of home here in London. If you're ever in Minnesota, please go to Cafe Latte. You will love it!

Café Latte’s Chicken Salsa Chili 

• 3 tablespoons olive oil 

• 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut into 1-inch pieces 

• 1 1/2 cups chopped yellow onions 

• 1/2 teaspoon crushed red chili pepper flakes 

• 1 tablespoon minced fresh garlic 

• 2 teaspoons minced fresh jalapeno chili peppers 

• 1 1/2 cups chicken stock 

• 3 tablespoons chili powder 

• 1 can (28 ounces) whole tomatoes, undrained and broken up 

• 1 can (29 ounces) tomato puree 

• 2 cans (15 ounces each) dark red kidney beans drained 

• 1 can (15 ounces) hominy 

• 1/3 cup chopped fresh cilantro 

• 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice 

To make chili:  Warm olive oil in a large stockpot over medium heat.  Sauté chicken 

until cooked.  Add onions and reduce heat.  Cook for 3 minutes or until onions are tender. 

Add pepper flakes, garlic, jalapenos, chicken stock, chili powder, tomatoes and tomato 

puree, kidney beans and hominy.  Simmer for 15 to 20 minutes. 

To serve:  Add chopped cilantro and limejuice just prior to serving.  Adjust seasoning to 

taste.  Top with sour cream, chopped red onions, grated cheddar cheese and tortilla chips.

Craft Fields

My friend Monika has been working super hard to launch a website called Craft Fields and it has just gone live this month. 

Monika is passionate about helping Lithuanian designers/crafters promote themselves and sell their creations so she and team of three other people set up the website/social hub to do just that.

The site also has a blog which you should definitely have a look at. There will be more and more designers/crafters who will be selling on the site, so you should check back often.

It's a really exciting project and I think it's really amazing that Monika and her team want to share what's unique about her country with the world.

I had the chance to go with her to Lithuania, where's she from, at the end of August and I loved it. It was a beautiful country and had a really cool vibe. The countryside reminded me a lot of Minnesota and we managed to visit several places over the long weekend.

This is how she explains what Craft Fields on the site:

We're a social hub and marketplace for Lithuanian craft makers – artists, designers, carpenters, painters, writers, musicians. We started as a startup and are a joint team of passionate social entrepreneurs spread across Europe.

We believe in the ability of communities to nurture creativity and originality.

We'll tell stories about our crafters working hard to create different and unique experiences through their products. You'll have the opportunity to embrace craft work in various ways: sharing, buying, giving opinions, telling your stories.

Here is a sample of what's currently for sale on the website.

Be sure to Like Craft Fields on Facebook and to Tweet with them on Twitter!

Time to apply for naturalisation for British citizenship

So funny that as I typed in that title for the post my spell check wanted to change the s to a z. I really like using the z instead of the s, but I've lived in London long enough now to have to sucumb to the fact that I use the letter s and u where I wouldn't normally before. I think that fact alone should qualify me for citizenship :)


I am coming up on three years here in London on my ILR visa, which means I've lived here long enough to now apply for naturalisation and get a lovely passport with a unicorn and lion on it.


In preparation I've already printed out the AN form and guide book and it seems pretty straightforward. You need to have two references (people of a certain professional standing who have known you for 3 years), a record of every trip you've made out of the country, your proof of passing the Life in the UK test and a fee of £836. At least that's what I can remember off the top of my head. 




You have to prove that you've been with your partner and that you've spent a specified amount of days here in the UK. I am not worried about filling out the actual form, although I don't feel 100% about where I've put my Life in the UK certificate, I am sure it's somewhere.


I am going to have the application reviewed by the nationality checking service. A friend of mine had her application checked and she said it was definitely worth it. 


Needless to say that I am pretty excited and it feels like a long time coming. It will be interesting to see how long the actual process will take from me sending it off to receiving the passport. I am expecting it to take at least three months. We shall see. 


If anyone knows of any good blog posts of other people's experiences or your own, please post them in the comments and I'll add them into a new post.