Triple G Gingersnaps & My “Fiery Ginger”

I absolutely adore ginger. Which is why this Triple G Gingersnap cookie recipe is my new fall favorite! Ground ginger, fresh ginger, crystalized ginger…keeping my hand out of the cookie jar with this snappy goodie in it is really tough. But there’s another ginger I adore even more! Son A, our resident fiery ginger. Son A, however, hasn’t always embraced this epithet.

Middle school is a floundering hot mess. I don’t recall anyone ever saying they wanted to relive the adolescent trifecta of acne, social angst, and raging hormones. Throw in the pre-teen evolution from a mouth-breathing, impulsive knuckle-dragger into an upright-walking, somewhat rational thinking mind and the whole junior high experience is complete. (To all of my middle school teacher friends out there…I raise the Hunger Games three-finger salute!)

So it comes as no surprise the intellectual geniuses behind the Tide Pod eating and cinnamon snorting challenges inevitably find ways to harass and torment each other. Middle schoolers are like wild animals in a strange sort of primordial way. They instantly detect and seek out kids emitting eccentric or timid vibes. Son A’s flaming red locks, freckles and mellow attitude made him a moving target, complete with a neon-glowing arrow flashing above his head.

Shortly before Son A walked through the middle school mosh-pits (AKA hallways), South Park released their “Ginger Kids” episode. The main joke coming from this ridiculous show was gingers have no soul, a side effect of their red-hair, light complexion and freckles. In the show, gingers must therefore steal the souls of others. Sheesh! I’m sure you can already predict how this affected Son A.

Instead of letting the adolescent jokers get the best of him, Son A turned the joke on them. When they’d walk by and say, “don’t steal my soul.” Son A’s reply was, “too late. I already have.” If he was in a particularly randy sort of mood, he’d rip a loud fart and announce he’d just released their soul back to them. (Insert sigh! Proud mom moment?!) End of discussion and harassment. Over the years, Son A has fully embraced his gingery-ness and frequently tells us now, “gingers are the spice of life.” Oh, how we agree!

Besides our obvious adoration for Son A, we delight in his reverence for any and all things relating to military aviation. It’s no surprise to us he’s in school to be an aviation mechanic. The kid has been in and around planes since birth.

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Over the years, Son A has been scheming and figuring out ways to go to Dayton, Ohio and the National Museum of the Air Force. Last summer he finally made it.

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It’s pretty obvious this amazing museum contains all forms of aviation, starting with the Wright Brothers’ 1909 Military Flyer all the way up to modern experimental aircraft and space travel.

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In between all of the hanging, dangling and parked planes are curious relics from aviation and military history.

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World War II gave way to the golden age of plane art. The Flying Tiger’s famed shark teeth noses gave way to voluptuous pin-up art on larger aircraft like bombers. Frequently the nicknames given to the planes were based on the pilots who flew them. The B-29 Bockscar was named after Captain Frederick C. Bock. Memphis Belle, the first heavy bomber to fly 25 successful missions over Europe during WWII, was named after Captain Robert K. Morgan’s sweetheart Margaret Polk. She lived in Memphis, Tennessee.

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Often the artwork was painted by crew members to enlisted graphic designers. More elaborate designs were created by servicemen with backgrounds in art, working for companies like Disney or Esquire. They were paid for their work. Nose art was strictly a USAAF feature. The iconic ladies featured on the aircraft reminded the young servicemen who they were fighting for back home; and rallied the flight crews together. Cartoon characters were also popular artwork as well. However, the U.S. Navy, as well as the British, strictly banned nose art on their planes.

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Following the Korean War, regulations were enacted limiting what could and couldn’t be painted for nose art. By 1993, all artwork had to be gender neutral.

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It’s no surprise when we came across the Fiery Ginger IV, I had to take a picture of it with Son A. This particular Republic P-47D Thunderbolt was flown by Colonel Neel E. Kearby. The Fiery Ginger IV was named after Kearby’s red-headed wife in Virginia. At the time, Col. Kearby was hoping to match or break Eddie Rickenbacker’s WWI record of 26 fighter pilot victories. On his plane 22 Japanese rising sun flags were painted, representing his 22 aerial victory claims. On a mission over New Guinea in March 1944, Kearby was intercepted by a Japanese Ki-43 Oscar fighter plane. The Fiery Ginger IV was shot down. Col. Kearby was able to bail out of the plane, but was tangled up in a tree and died from bullet wounds. Kearby’s remains were recovered in 1946. The only items to be salvaged from the Fiery Ginger IV wreck were the tail section and a machine gun. These items are on display, along with a replica P-47D painted to represent the Fiery Ginger IV. After four editions of the Fiery Ginger and 22 aerial victories, I’d say ginger is impressive!

Speaking of impressive, let’s circle back to those Triple G Gingersnaps. Packed with a spicy punch, these chewy cookies are made with three types of ginger–powdered, fresh and crystalized. Classic ingredients like cinnamon, cloves and molasses round out traditional gingersnap ingredients.

If you’ve never used fresh ginger, fear not! It’s surprisingly easy to peel using the side of a spoon. Scrape off the outer skin and slice, dice or mince away. In this recipe, you’ll combine 2 tablespoons of minced fresh ginger with 2 tablespoons of minced crystalized ginger and 1 teaspoon of granulated sugar. This helps sweeten and soften the two ginger types before adding directly to the cookie dough. But if you can’t find fresh ginger root, tubes of ginger paste are often found in grocery store produce sections. Just substitute 2 tablespoons of the ginger paste for the fresh in this recipe.

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With a hot cup of tea or coffee, these Triple G Gingersnaps will definitely spice up your life! Enjoy!

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