A quick meal, a double-disc classic, cold beer, relief for chapped lips and so much more await you in this installment of OnMilwaukee.com Recommends.

Carmex -- There are a million different options when it comes to lip balm but for my money, nobody does it better than the folks over at Carmalabs in Franklin. When I was a kid, I thought those ceramic jars with the metal caps were just "old people stuff" Oma kept in her medicine cabinet, but as I grew older, I learned to appreciate the subtle but reassuring "burn" this stuff gives off when it hits the lips. Available in cherry and strawberry flavors but, personally... I'm all about the classic, flavorless variety. -- Andrew Wagner

Those grits my friend left in my camping gear 5 years ago -- I could never get down with this mushy concoction made of coarsely ground corn growing up, but last week when I found myself with an odd collection of food items and not a lot of money to stretch through the week I gave them another try. I think I had been lugging around this particular container for several years, after a friend brought them camping and left them in a box of my gear. Having gone from not eating grits at all to scarfing some down daily for a week straight I must praise this slimy southern delicacy for its economy and versatility in the kitchen. Whether I ate it for breakfast with a dollop of brown sugar, or hit it up with some hot sauce at night I found grits to be thoroughly edible and ultimately more satisfying than starvation. -- Bob Purvis

Lakefront Brewery lagers -- There was a time, I'm ashamed to admit, when I wasn't too partial to beer of any kind, but Lakefront contributed in a big way to helping me see the light. For this specific purpose, I'm endorsing the brand mainly with the hope that you'll go over to the dark side and try out their lagers. I've been on a Riverwest Stein kick lately, but I recently got a chance to try the Eastside Dark, too. The flavors of both are rich and complex, but Eastside Dark also has a great coffee-like hint to it from the roasted malt. Even if you're not big into dark brews, trust me when I say these are worth a try. -- Renee Lorenz

Stereophonics -- Word Gets Around Deluxe Edition (V2/Universal) -- One of my favorite discs of the '90s, I've always thought that this down and dirty, no-frills story-laden rock and roll record is -- along with the likes of The Jam's "Sound Effects" and The Kinks' "Village Green Preservation Society" -- one of the great "small-town British" albums. It's full of slice of life songs about personalities and life in the band's Welsh hometown of Cwmaman (to whom it was dedicated). This double disc version has the original 1997 set on disc one and an assortment of b-sides, radio sessions and live tracks on disc two. The booklet has lyrics and photos and a brief note from frontman Kelly Jones, who mistakenly opines that the reissue includes "pretty much all the b-sides." Not true; he's likely referring to a U.K. "super deluxe" three-disc version. There are but five of them here, which allows me to clear two singles off of the CD shelf. At least four other CD singles from the era contain tracks not on this reissue. So, while I love this set, the discs run just 42 and 50 minutes. That means there was plenty of room for the rest (even without resorting to a third disc). Despite its imperfections, I can't help but heartily recommend this expanded version of one of my favorite records. -- Bobby Tanzilo

Simple, white lights -- I love Christmas. And, the entire holiday season brings out the best in people and businesses. Many businesses and neighborhoods this season have opted for simple, white lights in trees. I love this also. It's a classic and classy look that could work all year round. -- Jeff Sherman