Watch Natasha Raey talk to Andrew Trepanier about their story as a transmasculine male. *Trepanier uses the pronouns "they/them." In this episode of “Self Made: A Journey of Transition,” Natasha Raey Talks to Andrew Trepanier about their experience as a transgender individual in conversion therapy. They have been on testosterone transitioning from female to male for six years. Trepanier underwent social, prayer, electroshock therapy and counselling. Trepanier underwent conversion therapy for six months at Langley Hospital at age 18. The conversion therapy was unsuccessful and left them with lasting trauma, “since the 'therapy' I know I haven't been the same, there are parts of me that I've forgotten, electrocuted right out of my memories,” said Trepanier in an email statement. Over those six months Trepanier underwent social, prayer, electroshock therapy and counselling. Social therapy and counselling were aimed to try to 'teach' Trepanier to be a "straight woman," while prayer...

#MeToo. The hashtag has been mentioned by more than 12 million individuals since celebrity Alyssa Milano asked women to retweet it to signify past experiences of sexual harassment. The mentions were a mix of heartbreaking, sad, angry, snide….and rude. Women recounted countless experiences of sexual harassment, assault, bullying, domestic violence…and the list goes on. There were calls for men to join in to identify if they perhaps had been a perpetrator in the past…not very many participated. But now what? The internet has become a playing ground for the armchair activists, better known as “Slactivists.” Were you one of the 12 million who carefully typed #MeToo into a tweet, facebook post, or Instagram caption? Did you share your story, your anger? Or did you retweet in a show of support…or perhaps you were one of the anti-MeToo activists who thought the campaign should just go and fuck itself? Regardless of where...

Watch Natasha Raey talk to Surrey604’s Blake, a transmasculine male. In a series of episodes, Blake talks about work, faith, male privilege and about many of the uphill battles transgender people still face today. In this episode, Blake discusses transition related surgeries and his experience with the medical system. RELATED: Watch Self Made: A Journey of Transition - Episode 1 and Episode 2. This project was made possible thanks to the generous support of EPAMA who has been at the forefront of GLBT representation in Surrey since 2000....

Watch Natasha Raey talk to Surrey604’s Blake, a transmasculine male. In a series of episodes, Blake talks about work, faith, male privilege and about many of the uphill battles transgender people still face today. In this episode, Blake discusses social changes and how social media has affected his transition. RELATED: Watch Self Made: A Journey of Transition - Episode 1 This project was made possible thanks to the generous support of EPAMA who has been at the forefront of GLBT representation in Surrey since 2000....

Watch Natasha Raey talk to Surrey604's Blake Sebastian, a transmasculine male. In a series of episodes, Sebastian will talk about work, faith, male privilege and about many of the uphill battles transgender people still face today....

You are never going to believe this, but I made this entire dinner in 1 hour and 15 minutes…from scratch (i.e. the pasta did not come out of a box).  We don’t have any time to waste! Let’s get started! First…the gnocchi!  And surprise! You don’t need potatoes…just lots and lots of ricotta (let’s not worry about fat content today) ? Ingredients: 2 cups ricotta 2 eggs 1 cup freshly grated parmesan 1/4 tsp salt 1/4 tsp pepper 1/4 tsp nutmeg 1 and 1/4 cup flour *Mix all the above ingredients together until it forms a sticky dough*   *Put the dough on a well floured surface (and make sure your hands are floured throughout the whole dough process as well* *Separate the dough into four parts after you have kneaded it a little* *Shape each part into a long rope (about the width of a knife handle) and cut into...

Why are snickerdoodles so darn popular?  It’s obviously because of their semi-cake like texture.  And what is the secret ingredient that causes that texture?  It’s cream of tarter (which FYI is a powder, not to be confused with tartar sauce) :). I made these cookies on a stormy night.  They are quick and don’t require the precision that a lot of cookie recipes require. Ingredients: 1 cup butter – room temperature (plus 7 seconds in the microwave for optimal softness) 1 and 1/4 cup cane sugar 3 egg yolks 3 tsp vanilla 2 and 1/2 cups flour 1 tsp baking soda 1/2 tsp cream of tarter *Preheat the oven to 350 degrees* *Cream the sugar and butter together* *Add the three egg yolks plus the vanilla and mix* *Add the flour, baking soda and cream of taste and mix well so that a dough is formed* *Use a tablespoon to measure...

So…I’m not going to name names, but someone’s boyfriend forgot to get dessert for tonight.  And I had a craving for something sweet….so I whipped up this Blondies recipe right after dinner.  It took 7  minutes to get together and 25 minutes to bake.  And it was SO yummy!  So yummy in fact that I don’t actually have any good pictures of the finished product….because it’s mostly gone Ingredients: 1 egg 1/2 cup melted butter 1 cup dark brown sugar 1 tsp cinnamon 1 tbs vanilla 1/4 tsp baking powder 1/4 tsp baking soda 1 cup flour *Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and butter and flour an 8 x 8 pan* *Mix the melted butter with the brown sugar* *Add the egg and vanilla and mix well* *Add the dry ingredients and mix well *Pour the batter in the pan and bake for 20 – 25 minutes (until a...

This slow cooked meal is a french favourite, not to be confused with the Italian Ragu sauce.  Although I did serve this over rigatoni for dinner.  Ragout contains enough heartiness to be a main dish stew, or can be eaten over your favourite pasta, or with crusty baguette slices. Ingredients: Organic stewing beef - cut in pieces 2 chorizo sausages - removed from casings and broken into pieces 1 yellow onion - diced 3 cloves garlic - diced 1.5 cups carrot - grated 1 cup potato - grated 1 celery stick - chopped 1/2 pint grape tomatoes 1 can chopped (28 oz) tomatoes 1 sprig fresh rosemary 1 cup cooking wine (red) 1 tsp dried thyme 1 tsp salt 1 tsp pepper 1 tsp sugar *Place the ingredients in your crockpot as follows* Meat and half of the onions and garlic 2) Carrots and onions 3) All other vegetable ingredients 4) Red...

Most of my meatball recipes involve baking the meatballs.  Not this one!  The little balls of goodness are browned and simmered in the same skillet as the sauce.  And...these meatballs have ground meat, sausage and...crackers (yup! That's a real thing!) Ingredients: Meatballs Organic ground beef Two hot Italian sausages (casings removed) 1/2 grated onion 1/4 diced onion 2 tbs grated parmesan cheese 1 cup crumbled multigrain crackers (use your hands to crumble) 1 egg 1 tsp oregano 1 tsp basil 1 garlic clove - minced 1 tsp salt 1 tsp pepper 1 tsp paprika 1/4 cup olive oil Sauce:  1/2 onion - chopped 1 green pepper - chopped 1/2 pint grape tomatoes 2 cans tomato paste (6 oz each) 4 cans water (tomato paste cans) 1 cup cooking red wine 1 tsp salt 1 tsp pepper 1 tsp oregano 1 tsp garlic powder 1 tsp basil 1 tsp parsley *First,...

You will never want to eat chocolate brownies again after trying my recipe.  I made these tonight for dessert and they are such an indulgent dessert.  I had to stop myself from eating the entire dish!   Ingredients: 1/2 cup butter (1 stick) - softened 3/4 cup sugar 1 egg 1 tbs milk 1 tbs lemon juice (freshly squeezed from a lemon!) 1 tsp grated lemon peel 3/4 cup flour Glaze: 1/2 cup icing sugar 2 - 3 tbs lemon juice (freshly squeezed!) 1 tsp milk (roughly) 1 tsp grated lemon peel *Preheat your oven to 350 degrees* *Cream together the butter and sugar* *Add the milk and lemon juice* *Mix in the grated peel* *Pour the batter into a parchment lined 8 inch baking dish* *Bake for 25 minutes* *Let the brownies cool before you glaze.  I put an inverted plate over the dish to easily remove the brownies...

Legit, there is nothing funner than this cookie.  It's fun to make...and super fun to eat! What is funfetti?  Well, essentially it's any cake or cookie that has loads of sprinkles in the batter, so it's colourful, and well...fun! And these cookies are a perfect Easter treat.  There is 2 hours of chill time included in this recipe, so make sure to account for that in your prep time. Ingredients: 1/2 cup (1 stick) softened butter 3/4 cup sugar 1 egg 1 tbs vanilla extract 1 and 1/2 cups flour 2 tsp cornstarch 1/4 tsp baking soda 1/2 cup sprinkles *Mix the butter and sugar together until creamed* *Add the egg and mix until light and fluffy* *Add the flour, cornstarch and baking soda and mix until combined* *Fold in the sprinkles* *Using a table spoon or ice cream scoop, roll the dough into two inch balls and place on...

This recipe is my take on the ever popular Shepards Pie.  It's a little looser than what you might be used to, but it's also going to be way yummier and healthier...so you should probably make it for dinner tonight :) Ingredients: Ground chicken breast 2 chorizo sausages (or whatever kind of sausage you prefer) 1/2 pint grape tomatoes - halved One bunch Heirloom carrots (or regular) - chopped into 1.5 inch pieces One bunch Asparagus - chopped into 1.5 inch pieces 4 Yukon Gold potatoes - quartered 1/2 yellow onion - chopped 2 garlic cloves - peeled and smashed 1/2 cup cream 6 tbs butter Salt Pepper Oregano Thyme 1/4 cup freshly grated parmesan *Place the potatoes and garlic in a pot full of water.  Add salt and bring to a boil.  Boil for 12 minutes.* *Drain potatoes and place in a bowl with 4 tbs butter.  Mash up...

Yesterday I spent the afternoon handing out stockings with toiletries and warm winter accessories to the homeless at Oppenheimer Park on the downtown eastside (Vancouver).  I’m part of an amazing group of girlfriends (we affectionately call ourselves #ClamJam), and a few amazing angels from this group spearheaded this initiative.  I feel so lucky to be a part of such an inspiring group of women #WeAreBetterTogether. Tyler had bought tickets for us to watch The Big Short (ohmygoodSOGOOD!) that evening, so I decided to make my Sausage Florentine Pasta Bake – something quick and easy, so that we could have an early Christmas Eve dinner :). Ingredients: Hot Italian sausages 1/2 tsp olive oil 1/2 onion – diced 1 can tomato paste 1 jar marinara sauce 4 cups spinach – chopped 1 container (the smaller size) ricotta cheese 3/4 cup mozzarella – grated 1/2 cup parmesan – grated 1/2 package penne...