Often confused for a tree, this tropical houseplant is recognizable by its dramatic, paddle-shaped leaves. If you're looking to add natural interest to your home, banana leaf plants are the way to go.

If using banana or palm leaves to create ‘dishes’, do this by dividing each leaf in half and cutting out a circle from each half using a pan lid as a guide. Bring a wide saucepan of water to ...

If you have the grill fired up for this Indonesian dish of fish wrapped in banana leaf (which was developed by my ex-food stylist, Vivian Herijanto), you'd might as well also cook some skewers of ...