Few Questions about a recipe

So I'm gonna try to make "Spiced Winter Ale" in time for Christmas (I know I got time but this is America and I like to put things off until later). The ingredients are


8 oz English Crystal Malt
2 oz black patent malt
6 lb Light Extract Syrup
1 lb Light Dry Malt Extract
1 lb Clover Honey
2.5 oz Cascade

Ginger root
cinnamon sticks
nutmeg
dried orange peel

yadayadayada

It says the first step is to steep the grains, I know this is simple but I just want some assurance I have the right idea in my mind. So i go get a muslin bag, then I just add the English Crystal and the Black Patent?

It also has me go to a secondary fermenter 3-5 days after the primary. Am I only doing this to keep the beer clearer by removing the sediment from the bottom?

It also says to keep it bottled for a minimum of 3 weeks. The beer I just bottled (First batch Amber Ale) I was just planning on keeping bottled for 10 days so I could open it on Football Sunday (Yes it is a holiday). How do you know how long to keep a particular beer bottled before you open it?

1) yes
2) yes
3) you know it's been long enough when it's carbonated and the immature flavors have subsided. This will be longer for higher ABV beers and shorter for the light stuff.

steep lower 150 for lighter beers, if you want a more heavy body beer steep at 155+. Secondary really isn't needed if you keep in primary for 2 weeks or so and I would at least let it carb for about 1 week before trying.

Now I heard Irish Moss can help keep your beer more clear. Does Irish Moss have any effect on flavor, and if it can keep your beer clear why not just add some of that instead of bringing in a secondary fermenter?

yes, irish moss helps remove haze causing proteins. no flavor effects, aside from a possible slight decrease in bitterness. secondary further clears beer, mostly by allowing more time for yeast to flocculate.