Pay Day Candy Mix (And The Varying Degrees Of Fits Thrown In The South)
I am posting this recipe so my Mama will stop having dying duck fits wanting me to.
Has your Mama ever thrown a fit? Have you ever thrown a fit? If you answered no to either one of those, you just can’t be a Southerner. You see, Southerners throw fits and we all have varying degree of fits, which are not “had” but “thrown“.
There is the classic hissy fit, which is rather mundane but still entertaining to watch. This is typically thrown by otherwise demure and well behaved ladies and consists mostly of high pitched voices being pitched even higher as hands wave around in the air and heads shake, sending dangly earrings bobbing after the jerky head movements.
Hissy fits aren’t that big of a deal unless combined with heat and humidity, then it can get ugly. A hissy fit might typically be thrown if you were about to have guests arrive for a party only to find that ice hadn’t been bought ahead of time or the sherbert in your punchbowl had already melted. The script for a hissy fit usually begins with “Oh lord! What are we gonna do now?!”
Cow fits are a bit more urgent, usually requiring some form of action to soothe the nerves of the fit thrower. One might throw a cow fit, for example, if you were running late for an appointment and discovered that your favorite heels had been chewed by the puppy. The cow fit script in this case would sound something like, “My shoes!! My favorite shoes!! Those were the ones I was going to wear today!”. Now dying cow fits require immediate action, but mainly just to get the fit thrower to hush so we can all have a bit of piece (In the interest of self disclosure, I am rather prone to cow fits due to my extreme lack of organization and ever growing to-do list, which wouldn’t be so bad if I didn’t spend half my time looking for the dern list).
A duck fit is really one of the most minor fits but when it becomes a dying duck fit – you post the Payday Candy Mix recipe so you can get your Mama to stop quacking so much. ~grins~
The reason Mama wanted me to post this was because it has become quite the “pass along” idea among her quilting friends. Its like this fad all of a sudden, go to anyone’s house we know and you’ll see a pretty bowl (usually pressed glass) filled with this candy mix as soon as you step into the foyer (Which Southerners tend to pronounce “Four-yer” rather than the much more fashionable “Foy-yay”.). So see, her intentions were good, she wants y’all to have some of this candy, I just had other things on my plate and hadn’t got around to it until now.
If you like Payday candy bars, this is right up your alley because it tastes just like a payday, but is a heap prettier when presented in a nice little pressed glass bowl.
Posted by Christy Jordan
on Oct 25 2008. Filed under Misc.
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I have made this for harvest parties at my daughter’s school until we started homeschooling. I like to add m&ms to mine just because a little chocolate is always yummy!
I made this yesterday for a party! I add Halloween colored m&m, and small pretzel twists…for added salt! the BEST sweet and salty snack and SO PRETTY with the fall colors!!! Hand Cream….yeah,Christy you need to tell us about that one too : )
Does anyone remember which post the hand cream recipe was in??? Would love to make it!
Tried this for the first time last year. It really does taste like the candy bar!
I have been addicted to this payday mix for the past few years. I usually eat so much I am ashamed of myself, then I forget about it until this time the next year. I have only mixed one batch so far.
I have been known to have thrown a few fits at various different levels. I reserve them now days for things that really matter. where when I was younger, it didn’t take much.
I love your blog , recipes and everything!!!!
We LOVE this. I have to hide the candy corn from myself though
We use M&M’s in ours also. Something else my husband likes is hershey’s kisses mixed in with a big bowl of popcorn!
I mix m&m’s in my popcorn, or milk duds too…best when done when the popcorn is warm and starts to melt/soften up the chocolates. YUMMMM
Totally making some with M&M’s for little Halloween teacher gifts!!
Just bought my second bag of candy corn & will have to try this.
I’ve heard of hissy fits, but not cow fits or duck-or dying duck fits! : ) Guess I moved away from the south too long ago. *sigh*
You forgot coniption fit. This website http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-a-conniption-fit.htm defines it as: Assume for a minute you decided to tell your parents about your plans to ditch college and join the circus. The next event you witness should qualify as a conniption fit. A conniption fit is a sudden, violent emotional outburst generally triggered by shocking news or an unexpected turn of events. Unlike a tantrum, which could be triggered with little outside provocation, a conniption fit is often an anticipated response to incredibly bad or disappointing news. A conniption fit is generally characterized by a tirade of strong language accompanied by signs of frustration, rage and/or sadness. Sometimes a person having a conniption fit is reduced to stutters and incomprehensible epithets.
Oh…and I do love the PayDay candy corn mix. Only problem is I was eating a lot back in September of 2008. Ended up in the hospital for 2 weeks with intestinal problems that then required surgery. I attribute it to too many peanuts. So…now I try to stay away from this stuff. It can be addictive though.
Conniption fits were the kind most popular around my house too. Been known to throw a few of those myself! LOL!
Here in Yorkshire we tend to call a coniption fit a “pink fit” or a “purple fit”. I don’t know the reason why unfortunately.
I had to write to Southern Momma’s to find out the difference between ” having a coniption fit” and ” throwing a coniption fit” as around here you can say both when describing what happened e.g. when someone says” she had a pink fit “or “she threw a pink fit” it means the same thing.
I actually saw Candy Corn and peanut mix packaged together at Aldis!
[...] One of my personal favorites is this simple mix of candy corn and dry roasted peanuts. In fact it is the only way I even like to eat candy corn! The mixture tastes just like a PayDay candy bar. (photo from Southern Plate) [...]
I make this also…however I add in some raisins too! DELISH!
I guess in my mama’s part of Tennessee one threw a “wall-eyed fit.” insert mental picture of a woman rollin her eyes around like a crazy person.
I. LOVE. THIS! And I’m not even big on eating peanuts (unless they’re boiled) OR candy corn by itself, but you had me at the Payday comparison! Plus, how easy will it be to keep a snack mix like this around the house this season, or package it up pretty to give to my kids’ classes. Oh and I agree about southerners and fits, but don’t forget we’re prone to extreme fits of excitement too, especially when it comes to food (yep, I have those a lot while reading SP) lol
We don’t “throw” fits… LOL We “pitch” fits!!
Thank you Susan, I was a little disoriented: We “pitch a hissy fit”, “throw” a generic “fit” and had or have a “conniption fit”. In my mind the most severe is pitching a fit followed by throwing a fit followed by having a fit. “don’t have a cow” is a warning, and I love love love “dying duck” fit. Can’t wait to use that one. I guess it depends on what part of the south you are from., but your brain knows what verb to use with each fit. Best, Janet
I like this mix but I also use Corn Nuts mixed with Candy Corn. I use to keep it on my desk with a little scoop to share with my staff at school. Yes, I am addicted to this mixture too.
You’re really in trouble when someone throws a hissy and a fit ;o)
Love this mix!! It has been a tradition in my mama’s home & our home for years!!
In my southern family we say “pitch a fit” instead of throw. We also call them Jessie fits(named after one of my father’s 5 sisters who was prone to pitch fits at the drop of a hat).
I going to the store now to buy candy corn and peanuts.
Nothing says fall in our house like this mixture-been doing it for years and sometimes I do add M&M’s to it-num num!. Plus its so good for you-very healthy-right??
the health of the nuts balances out the candy! I’ll just keep telling myself this as I go for another handful!
Sounds yummy. I love payday!
when I was younger we used to say “uh oh Mom’s gonna have a fit when she finds out” we never defined what kind of fit because we never knew how she would react….just that she would and it wouldn’t be good.
In my husband’s family they call them “riggin’ fits” typically initiated when one becomes frustrated while “riggin” their fishing gear, other activity that does not go the way one desired or looking for a lost object.
How about the kangaroo fit. That’s when your toddler starts wildly jumping up and down when he doesn’t get his way. This may be accompanied by arms waving in the air, fists clenched, high pitched screaming, and/or crying. Kangaroo fits are not welcome at our house and end quite quickly
that dying duck fit is a good one!
Love this stuff with some M&M’s thrown in. By the by, if someone’s fit is just dramatically over the top, we’d say, “She pitched a ring tailed tooter!” Woo~boy, now that’s somethin’ to witness!
Ummmm….this sounds so good! I’ve also melted candy corn, mixed in some peanut butter, then patted it out and cut small pieces. Dip in melted chocolate almond bark – just like homemade Butterfingers!!
Christy , honey you are like a blast from the past, only you’re in the here and now ! I look forward to your posts every day to see what kind of story you are going to share with us ! I’m all too familiar with the kinds of fits “pitched” and their intensity. I’ve seen and heard my share and have been known to pitch a few myself ! By the time I read one of your recipes I’m having a drooling fit ! Keep the smiles and stories and recipes coming, we’re always waiting on them !
Tell your mama….Thank you for having a dying duck fit! Just the recipe I needed for this Halloween.
Hi Christy…..really your recipes, blogs & humor ….Thank-you! Well this mix sounds good, so I’ll try it, since I love paydays! Fits…..I’ve seen & had many myself….I actually had a coniption fit on my Facebook wall last night….frustrated with their new thing they’re trying….no more emails/notifications/text messages to my phone from the FB Team…..they changed ALL my settings & claim that I can set my settings back the way I want them…not true….tried @ least 6 times ….it just stayed the way THEY had set them….been this way 2 days now….they claim its to cut back on the amount of emails they send ….now I’m getting NO emails from them! Oh no, I’m throwing a FIT of some kind right now; don’t know what kind?????? LOL Well, enough complaining now…sorry people. I really like all the different types of fits you’ve all mentioned here …thank-you! Yeah….I’m thinking M&M’s sounds good in the mix. Mmmmmmmm!
I feel your pain! With the Southern Plate Facebook page having over 27,000 family members on it now, when fb up and changes something it often leaves me thrown for a serious loop and I’ve even been locked out of my account for days at a time only to just log in and have it magically fixed, lol. I wish there was a way I could pay something to them and have a customer service line or something but in the end, the benefits are worth the downside and it’s been a great tool to be able to stay so closely connected with all of you. I hope your account gets fixed like you like it soon Margaret!
LOve, LOVe LOVE this!! It’s hard to not eat lots of it!
Christy I rue the day a clerk at Walmart told me about mixing these two items to make it taste like a payday. I didn’t even like candy corn but was buying it for the grandkids. Now I love peanuts & love Paydays and this mix is just the thing!!!! Oh my goodness I didn’t need another vice. I already had my mom’s homemade fudge every Christmas. Now that she has passed on my sister has taken over (somewhat) making at least our immediate family fudge. Mom made it for everyone and I do mean everyone. It is the old fashioned kind you ccok to soft ball stage and beat and up until the year she died we had fudge every Christmas. Along with other candy she made. I can make the fudge but don’t because I just eat it – lol. Love your posts even though I am past your stage of life I can still relate.
This is sooooooooooooooooooooooo good !
CHRISTY, LOVED YOUR EXPLANATION OF FITS. MY PARENTS WERE BOTH BORN IN LOUISVILLE, ALABAMA. THEY WERE BOTH BORN IN ARIES. I ONLY HEARD ONE ARGUMENT IN 63 YEARS OF MARRIAGE. NEITHER ONE OF THEM EVER PITCHED A FIT. THEY WERE BOTH VERY EASY GOING PEOPLE. WE KIDS HAD BETTER SENSE THAN TO TRY OUR PARENTS BY PITCHING A FIT OURSELVES. I LIKE PEANUTS, BUT NEVER LIKED PAYDAYS OR CANDY CORN. IN FACT I LIKE ALL KINDS OF NUTS. BUT I’LL MAKE IT FOR MY GRAND CHILDREN. THEY WILL PROBABLY LOVE IT.
BOTH MY PARENTS WERE SOUTHERN COUNTRY. SO IS OUR ENTIRE FAMILY. LEFT THAT OUT BEFORE.
I hope they love it Martha! You will have to let me know.
The crazy thing married to a farmer and most Farming men will have to agree with this: “Well the woman is still having her fit. I better go check cows AGAIN even though it’s been 5 minutes ago.”
Love this recipe. Saw it mentioned in today’s post and had to make it. Lunch time and I went to buy the ingredients and everybody loved it. Thanks again. Any more recipes like this to wow the ladies at work with?
This stuff sounds great….My brother used to have “fits” my grandma always said “John had a fit and fell in it”. I was younger than him and thought it was just hilarious, imagining my older brother falling into something….I just love your posts and recipes, they’re wonderful….Patti