Baked apples with savory ingredients

Here's a perfect recipe for those apples you may have picked at your local apple orchard. We took our annual outing to Country Apple Orchard (see photos below).
I found this baked apple recipe.There is an alternative for the stuffing, which has sweet ingredients. I wanted this to be more for a supper item. And it was delicious!  Hope your taking some time from your busy scheduled to make those favorite autumn recipes. This pairs nicely with apple crisp if you're not sick of apples!

Ingredients
4 large apples
6 oz. we pork or turkey sausage
1/3 c. Chopped onion
1/2 c. Cooked brown rice
1 tsp chopped fresh rosemary (I used dried)
1 tsp chopped fresh thyme (I used dried)
1 T. Olive oil
Dash ground black pepper
3/4 c. Apple juice

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Slice the tops off each apple and a thin slice off the bottom to allow them to stand flat. Core apples, starting from the stem end, using a melon baller or small spoon, going to but not through the bottom of the apple. Leave a 1/4" apple shell. Save the flesh.
2. Prepare the filling. Cook the sausage and onions until sausage is browned, stirring to break up the meat. Drain the fat. In a bowl, combine sausage mixture, rice, rosemary, thyme, oil, pepper, and 1/2 c chopped apple flesh. 
3. Place apples in a 2-qt baking dish. Fill shells with savory mixture. Pour apple juice into the baking pan. 
4. Bake uncovered for 30-40 minutes.

Baked apples with savory ingredients

The boys at Country Apple Orchard in Harrisburg,SD