Baked Butternut Squash Stuffed with Sausage and Apples

I know this probably sounds weird, and maybe a little gross, but it actually turned out really well. While visiting Mardene, she went down in her basement (where she keeps most of the harvest from her garden) and brought up a butternut squash for me to take home. I think squash is good as-is, but I wanted to try a using it in a recipe, so I found this in the Joy of Cooking cookbook.

Position a rack in the center of the oven. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Lightly oil a baking dish large enough to hold the squash. Halve lengthwise and remove the seeds and strings from:
2 butternut squash (about 1 pound each.)
Arrange the squash cut side up in the baking dish and brush lightly with:
1 Tablespoon vegetable oil.
Cover with a lid or aluminum foil and bake until almost tender, 30-40 minutes. keep the oven on. Meanwhile, crumble into a skillet and cook over medium heat until no longer pink:
1 cup well-seasoned fresh bulk sausage (about 8 ounces.)
Without draining off the fat, add:
1 large tart green apple, peeled, cored, and cut into 1/4-inch cubes
Cook, stirring, for several minutes, just until crisp-tender. Remove from the heat. When the squash is cooked, let it cool slightly, then scoop out most of the flesh, leaving /8-inch-thick shells. Lightly mix the squash pulp into the sausage mixture, breaking up the squash as little as possible. Mix in:
2 Tablespoons butter, softened
1 Tablespoon packed dark brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon ground sage
Salt and ground black pepper to taste
Pile the stuffing into the squash halves. Dot with:
1 Tablespoon butter, cut into small pieces.
1 Tablespoon packed dark brown sugar.
Bake, uncovered, until piping hot and brown and crusty on top, 20-25 minutes. Let cool for several minutes before serving.

And you're done! Since I only had one squash, I just cut the recipe in half. I served this with seasoned rice. I'd also like to apologize for the picture. I don't think it gives an accurate representation of the finished product. I wish I could take better pictures of my food. I guess if I was using a camera I couldn't afford and buying food I couldn't afford, it might look different.