Win a bag of Barilla pasta—or tickets to a big-deal concert!

If Max were running this blog, it would be called Max Eats Spaghetti Sauce (the name by which he is going these days, which makes me long for the days when he was just Purple Max). I'm not changing the blog's name, but I am happy to offer up free pasta, sauce, peeled tomatoes, a jar of olive oil, an apron and a tote. Yes, it's a bag o' Barilla goodness, worth $55. Please, nobody tell Max I am giving away spaghetti.

Also! If you live in New York, I have two sets of VIP passes to the Andrea Bocelli concert in Central Park, taking place September 15. You get VIP access, VIP seating, and a free fabulous Italian feast. It's the same food concert goers will buying, 25 percent of which goes to the Food Bank of new York.

Oh, and you get to listen to Andrea Bocelli. I love his voice (DUH), but I'm also inspired by the success he's scored as a man who is blind (he lost his sight at age 12, in a soccer accident). Bocelli is the biggest-selling solo artist in the history of classical music. You know his voice; listen to him singing Nessun Dorma ("None shall sleep"), an aria from the opera Turandot.

To enter, leave a comment about whether you want to be entered for the bag or the concert tickets.

Bonus entries:

• Follow Love That Max on Twitter

• Like Love That Max on Facebook

• Mention this giveaway in your blog and share the link

• Tweet about this giveaway (one a day). A tweet: Win a tote with Barilla pasta & sauce, or VIP tix to an Andrea Bocelli concert from @LoveThatMax, ends 9/5, http://tinyurl.com/3wuuur5

This giveaway is open until Monday, September 5 at 11:59 EST, and is for U.S. residents 18 and older. I will randomly pick the winners at random.org, alert you by email and announce it here. Note, you must leave your email below if it is not visible on your blog.

Remember to mention which you'd like to win—the Barilla bag OR the Bocelli tickets.

Buona fortuna!

UPDATE: The winner of the Barilla tote is Christine, and Nicole and Allison will be headed to the Andrea Bocelli concert. Enjoy!

One spaghetti-tastic day

Let's say you have a son who is obsessed with spaghetti. Ob-sessed. And Barilla finds out. They're doing a Summer of Italy tour, a six-week celebration of Italian food and culture, and would you like to attend some pasta-centric events? They will even pay you a fee for your efforts.

Mamma mia!

Your first mission, because of course you have chosen to accept it: Head off to experience Meal For A Meal, taking place through Thursday in spots around New York. Barilla is handing out 20,000 free pasta dinner kits from food trucks, 5000 a day. That's a lotta pasta. Wait, it gets better: For every Spaghetatta To-Go meal Barilla gives out, the company donates $1 to the Food Bank For New York City. That adds up to 100,000 meals for the needy. And they'll toss in an extra $1 donation for anyone who gets their photo taken for their Facebook page.

You look up "spaghettata" and find out it's Italian for an impromptu, spaghetti-based meal in which friends, family and fun are just as key as the pasta. You've been enjoying spaghettatas all year long and didn't even know it!

You tell your son that you're off to get him some spaghetti. He is a little skeptical of your pasta sensibilities because this week, you tried to make him some purple spaghetti using beet juice. Two problems: Beet juice actually makes spaghetti pink and also, it smells kind of nasty.

Your son stared dubiously at the pink-not-purple spaghetti. Then he caught a whiff and said, "NOOOOOOOOOOOO."

Off to the food truck you go to make amends! When you arrive you see the line and realize that there are a whole lot of spaghetti-loving people out there. Hey! Maybe someday, your son can help run a spaghetti lovers convention (assuming he doesn't switch to lasagna or ziti, that is).

You get your dinner kit and sure enough it contains a box of Barilla spaghetti (score!) along with a jar of Barilla sauce, a container of fresh greens, and packets of Barilla olive oil and vinegar. All this and money goes to the needy. Nice!

You bring your haul home proudly, as if you've been out hunting and caught a box of spaghetti. Your child is asleep by then but you lean down and whisper in his ear, "Max, I got you some more spaghetti!" And he sort of smiles and goes back to dreaming. Probably about spaghetti.

Live in New York? On Wednesday the Barilla food truck will be on East 59th between Lexington and 3rd; on Thursday, it will be on Broadway between 58th Street and Columbus Circle. Oh, and next week, I get to give away a bag of Barilla foods (please don't tell Max I'm giving pasta away!), and two pairs of VIP tickets to a special Summer of Italy concert.

What shape of pasta is your child's favorite?

Photo/DaGoaty