Oh my goodness, your pumpkin pie sounds Awesome! Oh, I haven't ever gotten Shepherd's pie right, either. Last time I tried to make it, it was awful, lol. I used to eat it at Cheddar's, but they stopped selling it, lest time I was there. I really need to learn how to make it.
I feel better already. When you say 'awful' what actually went wrong with your Shepherd's Pie? I got my pumpkin pie recipe from The Joy of Cooking, a 1960s-era edition. I add a bit of stuff to it as well. Like a bit of rum for flavouring. And raisins. And I make a cream-cheese-rum topping for it, too. It's rich. But tasty.