Jolie's take on Shepherds Pie

I'm making shepherds pie, buttermilk biscuits, and cherry chip cake for dinner tonight. The only thing NOT coming out of a box is the shepherds pie!

It is such a simple dish and has so many nutritious ingredients. There is the basic pie that I like to kick up a notch. This dish is fun to experiment with. I really never have it come out the same because I like to add something different every time. Here is the way that everyone likes it....haven't got a complaint yet.

~Cook about 1 1/2 lbs ground hamburger with 1/2 onion and clove of garlic. Season heavily with pepper, garlic salt, and season salt (sometimes I like steak seasoning too) Make sure to drain the fat off very well...we don't need a grease floating around!
~In a bowl combine 1 can of cream of mushroom soup.....1/2 block softened cream cheese.....about 1 1/2 cups cheddar cheese....1-2 cans french cut green beans....1 can green chilies. (experimenting could be to add a teaspoon of horseradish, 1 can of tomato sauce, asparagus...etc.)
~Boil potatoes....we will mash them when done. Here is a BIG Jolie insider for the potatoes. Put 2 cubes of beef bullion, 2 tbl butter, chopped garlic and salt in the water to boil WITH the potatoes. They take on all of these flavors with out being overbearing. When drained and ready to mash, add real cream, real butter, a little bit of cheddar cheese, salt and pepper.
~Layer in a pan starting with hamburger...then the creamy cheese/vegetable mix...and top with potatoes.
~Bake at 350 for about 45 min -1 hour. Just make sure the cheesy middle mixture is all melted. I like the potatoes to have some crunchy brown on top too.

This is such a great dish to add anything your children have as a favorite vegetable....or add sausage to the hamburger...or make it very plain and simple. Anything goes! The kids love it, and it is a hearty full filling meal.