With the holidays on the horizon, east Cobb resident Peggy Fulghum shares her favorite pork tenderloin marinade for the beginning of a beautiful meal. She received “Benny Sauce Marinade” from a friend who asked that she not share the recipe.

“I kept having to make the marinade for people because I couldn’t tell them what was in it. Everybody always likes it,” she said.

After Fulghum’s friend saw a similar recipe, she agreed to allow her to share it with others. The marinade has 12 different herbs and spices that are added to a base of oil, red wine vinegar and lemon juice. After cooling, Fulghum marinates pork tenderloins in the marinade for about 12 hours.

“The variety of the flavors in the marinade is delicious. It’s almost like you don’t care about the meat as long as you have the flavor of the marinade,” she said. “It’s a more complicated taste with all the spices and the way they meld together. You put the pork in your mouth, and it’s one of those things you could not be hungry but want to pick it up and put it in your mouth.”

Fulghum recommends serving it with potatoes and asparagus. She prefers cooking the tenderloin on the grill or in a convection oven.

She said, “I’ve always enjoyed cooking. It doesn’t hurt to have a husband who loves everything you fix. I don’t ever feel like I’ve wasted my time or efforts.” Fulghum and her husband, Tom, have two daughters, Shelby and Natalie.

“(This pork tenderloin) is that good. It’s habit-forming,” she said.

BENNY SAUCE MARINADE

½ cup lemon juice ½ cup red wine vinegar ½ cup vegetable oil

2 large cloves garlic, minced

2 tablespoons salt

2 tablespoon onion powder

1½ teaspoon ground marjoram

1½ teaspoon dried thyme

1½ teaspoon dried basil

1½ teaspoon dried oregano

1 teaspoon celery salt

1 teaspoon garlic powder

2 teaspoon pepper

4 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

1/8 teaspoon hot sauce

DIRECTIONS Bring ingredients to boil in small saucepan, stirring constantly; reduce. Heat and simmer 2 minutes, stirring often. Remove from heat. Cool. Use to marinate pork tenderloins, chicken or steak.