Can you think of a better way to fight the Monday blues than with a yummy lucious dessert? I can't. But before I get into the details of Sweet Monday, let me start with Sock Monday.

So you remember Mr. Houndstoothy, the should I or shouldn't I dilemma? Well I took all your suggestions into consideration and Mr. Houndstoothy looks like this

He's been blocked. And he's also been color redominated. The portion closest to the cuff is khaki dominant and the other half is brown dominant. So what was the verdict? Well in my scheming ways, I was secretly hoping that the friend I was knitting this sock for would comment and give her two cents, and she did! So in my assessment of her comment, I wasn't totally convinced that she loved the pattern. Why knit a sock for your friend that she wouldn't absolutely LOVE, right? So I racked my brain, went through my stash and fellow foodie craftster Nova received the awesome sock. Unfortunately, I didn't have a chance to snap a shot before I sent it off. But of course she has. You can see it here. You just have to scroll past the chocolately goodness first. No drool on the sock please. Love, much? Yes, looooove. It's Sundara sock yarn and the Uptown Boot pattern.

And what did I get in return, why a sock of course! Miss Brenda designed a fab pattern for me in some yummy blue yarn. I need more cool colors on my feet and these are just perfect!

These are knit in Fearless Fibers Superwash Merino in the Prosperity colorway and they fit like a glove! I know how nerve racking it is to knit for others with different size feet that yourself because I get the same way. But they fit perfectly! And whats best, the cabley goodness! I can't wait to get started on the second sock.

Now that I've lured you in with socks, you can definitely stay for the sweet! So what's this Sweet Monday business? It's actually part of a larger foodie project called Defiantly Domestic. Leah and Yahaira had a vision for a cook-along of sorts where they would make the same recipe and share notes, a learning circle you could say. They asked me to join them, and honestly, how could I say no? Three time's a charm, right? One recipe + three cooks = yummy fantastic food, at least that's the hope. But if not, the end result will be many lessons learned through our three separate processes.

First up is the Goat Cheese and Lemon Cheesecake with Hazelnut Crust from Cooks Illustrated.

Summary: This was my first attempt at cheesecake and second attempt at making lemon curd. End results were yummy fantastic cheesecake. I was concerned about the goat cheese dominating the flavor, but the balance of the goat cheese, cream cheese and lemon curd were perfect. I had two major technique issues, using a mini-food processor to prepare the curst and wrapping the pan in preparation for the water bath, none of which affected the overall taste of the dessert. And on a process/timing note, if you're planning to make cheesecake for a dinner party, start first thing in the morning. Otherwise, you won't be able to eat your cheesecake until the next day.

The in-depth process notes and details are over at Defiantly Domestic, as well as Leah and Yahaira's cheesecakes. Come and get some before it's all gone.