It might seem odd, a girl who grew up in England preparing an Irish feast, but it is one of the things that Margaret Nicholas loves to do for her friends. On March 20, the 70-year-old Valencia resident will cook for 80. As she put it, "I'm in my element when I'm cooking."

She started making the St. Patrick's Day dinner two years ago because "I love corn beef" and she, a widow, wanted to have dinner for her single lady friends. Last year, she realized that maybe her friends who were couples and men would enjoy the meal as well. So she opened up the party and had more than 70 of her neighbors at The Woodlands at St. Barnabas, a senior citizen independent community, register for the meal. "The hardest part was determining how much food to buy and make," she said.

She recruited volunteers and they prepared the meal in two kitchens - the community center and the library. "It was a little difficult running back and forth," she said. The volunteers helped with scrubbing potatoes, making Jell-O salads and serving. This year she plans to use bigger pots and utilize just the kitchen in the community center where everybody eats.

At the end of the meal last year, Mrs. Nicholas realized she had prepared too much food. Thinking fast, she called the nearby Lighthouse Foundation to donate the leftovers to the people for whom it provides housing. "It actually turned out to be a good thing because we prayed at the beginning of the meal to be mindful of the hungry and we were able to feed the hungry."

This year, she is better prepared. Her shopping list includes 10 large corned beef briskets, 10 pounds of baby carrots, seven 5-pound bags of potatoes and eight cabbages. She purchases most from McGinnis Sisters in Cranberry, where she also orders Irish soda bread and pies for dessert. She also will be making a few Jell-O salads, this year by herself. "I couldn't get any volunteers."

Though corned beef is one of her favorite meals, Mrs. Nicholas doesn't remember the first time she ate it, but she is sure it was after she relocated to the United States at 19 to work as a nanny. She went home two years later, but soon returned as the bride of a U.S. serviceman she met in her home country.

She and her late husband eventually settled in 1998 in Ambridge, where they owned and operated "B, B and B" as she calls it - a bed and breakfast named "Bed, Bread, and Blessing." She sold it and moved to Valencia three years ago.

Her food background comes in handy in preparing the feast and the English tea that she serves in the summer. "She obviously loves to cook," said friend Guy Dille. He and his wife, Dorothy, are Mrs. Nicholas' neighbors, and he's one of 10 volunteers who help with the feast. "They need muscle power. I had to help with the pots last year because they are so heavy," he said.

To make things a bit easier, the Irish Feast is BYOD - bring your own dishes. Guests also bring beverages, with the exception of coffee, and donate $7 each to cover costs.

The event wraps up around 9 p.m.

Mr. Dille said the feast is one of the social events of the year in their community. "Food is very important to folks our age - dinners are big social events," he said. "And this is certainly one of the best."

Mrs. Nicholas' Corned Beef and Cabbage

PG tested

• Corned beef brisket, 4 to 6 pounds
• 1 onion, peeled and chopped
• 1-pound bag of carrots
• 8 small red potatoes
• 1/2 head of cabbage with outer leaves removed, cut into slices

Buy corned beef that comes with a seasoning package. Place beef in a big pot, cover with water and add the seasoning. Add chopped onion and bring to boil. Reduce heat to low, cover and cook for 2 hours, until meat is tender. Add carrots and potatoes. Cook 30 minutes until almost tender. Add cabbage and cook 20 minutes until cabbage is soft but not soggy. Remove meat and slice thinly across the grain to serve.

- Margaret Nicholas

Mrs. Nicholas' cheesy lime mold

PG tested

This looks best in a ring mold. It can also be made in a jelly roll pan and served in squares with a piece of cucumber and green pepper to garnish.

• 3-ounce package lime gelatin
• 1 1/4 cups water
• 3-ounce package cream cheese, cut in cubes and softened
• 1/2 cup mayonnaise
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 1/4 medium green pepper

1 medium cucumber, peeled, halved lengthwise, deseeded and cut into pieces

Put gelatin and boiling water in a blender container; blend at medium speed until gelatin dissolves. Add cream cheese, mayonnaise and lemon juice. Blend until smooth. Add green pepper to blender until coarsely chopped. Chill until partially set, stirring occasionally. Turn into a 31/2-cup mold and chill until set. Top with cucumber pieces.

- Margaret Nicholas

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