Salad soup and crispy crackers

Since my bodily functions seem to have returned to normal, I am celebrating by cooking two recipes I've had in mind for several weeks.

The soup is gumbo z'herbes, with a few changes. My "herbes" ended up being mustard and collard greens, green cabbage, spinach, watercress, parsley, tarragon, and green onions, long-simmered in garlic, onions, celery, thyme, and chicken and beef broth, on top of a quick roux. And I didn't have a ham hock handy, so I subbed in a smoked turkey leg and wing. Um... yum. I will definitely make this again, but won't need to for a while, as it made approximately 5 quarts.

I didn't put the gumbo over rice because I had those gorgeous crackers you see, still warm from the oven. I used Mark Bittmann's recipe, except for the food processor I subbed in a dough blender (which we called a pastry cutter when I was growing up, but that now seems to refer to a different gadget entirely, which I would call a pastry wheel, but whatever) and a heaping cup of elbow grease (trans-fat free!). Easy, worth it, and will absolutely make them again, perhaps in cheddar, with a hint of thyme.