Michigan Crockpot Pork Tenderloin

Getting to the box is still a struggle... but it's getting better and as with every time I go back to work, and she is a year older, it just takes some adjusting and I will figure it out. That's not without some trial and error though- I was so tired and so frustrated last Friday I sat on my kitchen floor and cried when she messed up the ingredients in the pizza we were making... completely out of character for me, but that's what exhaustion does to a person. It helps to know people who also have home gyms that can give me the 30 minute break I need to work out....

... but she always wants to join. 

Made with all Michigan products (aside from maybe the pork) this reminds me of my beloved Grandma Alice because she used to make pork chops with apple sauce. It was one of the few times I remember eating pork growing up- aside from bacon :) I got the idea from a beef tenderloin idea I saw in a magazine with apples and onion.  

MICHIGAN CROCKPOT PORK TENDERLOIN

- 4 lb Pork Tenderloin* (*if you are using a smaller amount of meat the cooking time with be shorter)
- 1/2 Cup Maple Syrup 
- 1 Tbsp Cinnamon
- 1tsp Allspice
- 1/2 tsp Salt
- 2 Honey Crisp Apples, cut into thin slices

1. Trim the fat off the pork. Cut 7-8 slits in one side about 2 inches apart. Stuff 2 apple slices in each slit.
2. In the bottom of a slow cooker, place most of the remaining apple slices. Lay the stuffed pork on top. Surround with the other apple slices. 
3. Sprinkle the spices over the top. Drizzle with the maple syrup. Cook 8 hours on low or 4 hours on high and enjoy the smells!
4. To make a sauce out of the sauce- remove the meat and apples- pour the liquid into a sauce pan over high heat. Make a slurry out of 2 Tbsp of Arrowroot powder mixed with 2 Tbsp of water... while whisking, pour this into the boiling liquid. It will thicken quickly. I wanted mine smooth so I used my immersion blender when it was done.

I served my meal with butternut squash.