Oven-Baked Crab Rangoon

Asian food has played a huge role in my relationship with my husband.

Our first date was at a long-gone, downtown Madison restaurant with a decidedly urban feel to it. I am certain I ordered cashew shrimp and it was the best I’ve ever tasted.

During our courtship (do they still call it that?), we explored Asian restaurants all over Madison, and later Green Bay.

We had an early afternoon wedding in our hometown and were on the road by 5 p.m. on a snowy and blowy winter day. That night, we ate our wedding dinner at the neighborhood Chinese restaurant, which soon became a regular Friday night stop for us. (There was something about that humble little dinner that meant more to me than a huge wedding feast.)

Late yesterday afternoon, my tastebuds demanded crab Rangoon. It started about 3 p.m. and I could not get those tangy and crispy little bundles out of my head.

We were too tired to go out in search of Chinese food, so I tried one of the local supermarkets, dragging myself and my cart up this aisle and that in search of a pre-made crab Rangoon.

Yes, pre-made. Only I could not find any. So I bought wonton wrappers and crab meat and cream cheese.

And I went home and made crab Rangoon myself. I baked them, rather than frying them, and they were good.

It’s easy. Mix about 1/3 cup of drained and chopped crab meat with about 8 ounces of cream cheese, a dollop of mayo, some chopped green onion or even minced onion and set aside.

Lightly coat 18 wonton wrappers with peanut oil. Drop about a half-tablespoon of filling in each wrapper. Bring diagonal ends together, and give them a little twist. Place them on a greased baking sheet and pop them into a pre-heated 350-degree oven for about 20 minutes, or until they turn golden brown.

They are a bit crunchier than fried Rangoon but perfect when served with a stir fry.

Surely you've had a craving that would have gone unsatisfied, had you not found a substitute or made it yourself.

What was it? How did you satisfy it?